Recent advances and prospects of inkjet printing in heterogeneous catalysis

Recent advances in inkjet printing technology for applications relating to heterogeneous catalysis are presented. Catalysts lie at the heart of most chemical reactions where raw materials are converted to value-added products. Therefore, synthesis and immobilization of active catalysts in the reactor are of great importance. Inkjet printing is an additive manufacturing technology introduced recently as a useful method for the fabrication and application of catalysts as a class of functional materials. Inkjet printing provides special features which can be tailored to the design of high-efficient catalytic processes. This review presents an overview of the technology along with developments and challenges associated with the combination of inkjet printing and heterogeneous catalysis, such as ink preparation, thin-film properties and real-life applications.