3D printing technology provides a unique platform for rapid prototyping of numerous applications due to its ability to produce low cost 3D printed platforms. Herein, a graphene-based polylactic acid filament (graphene/PLA) has been 3D printed to fabricate a range of 3D disc electrode (3DE) configurations using a conventional RepRap fused deposition moulding (FDM) 3D printer, which requires no further modification/ex-situ curing step. To provide proof-of-concept, these 3D printed electrode architectures are characterised both electrochemically and physicochemically and are advantageously applied as freestanding anodes within Li-ion batteries and as solid-state supercapacitors. These freestanding anodes neglect the requirement for a current collector, thus offering a simplistic and cheaper alternative to traditional Li-ion based setups. Additionally, the ability of these devices’ to electrochemically produce hydrogen via the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) as an alternative to currently utilised platinum based electrodes (with in electrolysers) is also performed. The 3DE demonstrates an unexpectedly high catalytic activity towards the HER (−0.46 V vs. SCE) upon the 1000th cycle, such potential is the closest observed to the desired value of platinum at (−0.25 V vs. SCE). We subsequently suggest that 3D printing of graphene-based conductive filaments allows for the simple fabrication of energy storage devices with bespoke and conceptual designs to be realised.

In pursuing higher energy density, without compromising the power density of supercapacitor platforms, the application of an advanced 2D nanomaterial is utilised to maximise performance. Antimonene, for the first time, is characterised as a material for applications in energy storage, being applied as an electrode material as the basis of a supercapacitor. Antimonene is shown to significantly improve the energy storage capabilities of a carbon electrode in both cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charging. Antimonene demonstrates remarkable performance with a capacitance of 1578 F g-1 , with a high charging current density of 14 A g-1. Hence, antimonene is shown to be a highly promising material for energy storage applications. The system also demonstrates a highly competitive energy and power densities of 20 mW h kg-1 and 4.8 kW kg-1 respectively. In addition to the excellent charge storing abilities, antimonene shows good cycling capabilities.

4D printing is an emerging field in additive manufacturing of time responsive programmable materials. The combination of 3D printing technologies with materials that can transform and possess shape memory and self-healing capabilities means the potential to manufacture dynamic structures readily for a myriad of applications. The benefits of using multifunctional materials in 4D printing create opportunities for solutions in demanding environments including outer space, and extreme weather conditions where human intervention is not possible. The current progress of 4D Printable smart materials and their stimuli-responsive capabilities are overviewed in this paper, including the discussion of shapememory materials, metamaterials, and self-healing materials and their responses to thermal, pH, moisture, light, magnetic and electrical exposures. Potential applications of such systems have been explored to include advancements in health monitoring, electrical devices, deployable structures, soft robotics and tuneable metamaterials.

The fabrication, characterisation and energy storage capacity of a graphene oxide (GO) based supercapacitor device is reported. This device is fabricated via a facile screen-printing technique, providing a highly reproducible and flexible symmetrical supercapacitor device. The capacitive properties of these GO devices are investigated in both aqueous electrolytes and room temperature ionic liquids. They are shown to improve the capacitive performance from 0.82 F g-1 displayed by a graphitic screen, to 423 Fg-1 representing a ca. 500 fold increase. The GO supercapacitor device exhibits a highly competitive capacitance of 423 Fg-1 , with a impressive power handling capability of up to 13.9 kW kg-1 and an energy density of 11.6 Wh kg-1. This work demonstrates that GO, before it has been reduced to graphene, is a high performance supercapacitor material of its own rite.

This manuscript describes the production of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer nanoparticles (nanoMIPs) for the cardiac biomarkers heart-fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) and ST2 by solid-phase synthesis, and their use as synthetic antibodies in a multiplexed sensing platform. Analysis by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) shows that the affinity of the nanoMIPs is similar to that of commercially available antibodies. The particles are coated onto the surface of thermocouples and inserted into 3D-printed flow cells of different multiplexed designs. We demonstrate it is possible to selectively detect both cardiac biomarkers within the physiologically relevant range. Furthermore, the developed sensor platform is the first example of a multiplex format of this thermal analysis technique which enables simultaneous measurements of two different compounds with minimal cross selectivity. The format where three thermocouples are positioned in parallel exhibits the highest sensitivity, which is explained by modelling the heat flow distribution within the flow cell. This design is used in further experiments and proof-of-application of the sensor platform is provided by measuring spiked fetal bovine serum samples. Due to the high selectivity, short measurement time, and low-cost of this array format, it provides an interesting alternative to traditional immunoassays. The use of nanoMIPs enables a multi-marker strategy, which has the potential to contribute to sustainable healthcare by improving reliability of cardiac biomarker testing.

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The first entirely AM/3D‐printed sodium‐ion (full‐cell) battery is reported herein, presenting a paradigm shift in the design and prototyping of energy‐storage architectures. AM/3D‐printing compatible composite materials are developed for the first time, integrating the active materials NaMnO2 and TiO2 within a porous supporting material, before being AM/3D‐printed into a proof‐of‐concept model based upon the basic geometry of commercially existing AA battery designs. The freestanding and completely AM/3D‐fabricated device demonstrates a respectable performance of 84.3 mAh g−1 with a current density of 8.43 mA g−1; note that the structure is typically comprised of 80% thermoplastic, but yet, still works and functions as an energy‐storage platform. The AM/3D‐fabricated device is critically benchmarked against a battery developed using the same active materials, but fabricated via a traditional manufacturing method utilizing an ink‐based/doctor‐bladed methodology, which is found to exhibit a specific capacity of 98.9 mAh m−2 (116.35 mAh g−1). The fabrication of fully AM/3D‐printed energy‐storage architectures compares favorably with traditional approaches, with the former providing a new direction in battery manufacturing. This work represents a paradigm shift in the technological and design considerations in battery and energy‐storage architectures.

Surfactant-exfoliated 2D hexagonal boron nitride (2D-hBN) nanosheets are fabricated using the surfactant sodium cholate in aqueous media and are explored towards the electrochemical reduction of oxygen.