Highly compressible 3D periodic graphene aerogel microlattices

TLDR

Graphene, a two‑dimensional material with low density, exceptional mechanical strength, large surface area, and excellent electrical conductivity, has been assembled into bulk 3D aerogels, but their purely stochastic porous networks limit performance relative to engineered architectures. The study aims to fabricate periodic graphene aerogel microlattices using direct ink writing to create engineered architectures. By adapting direct ink writing to graphene aerogels, the authors fabricated microlattices with engineered architectures, enabling a range of complex aerogel designs. The resulting microlattices are lightweight, highly conductive, supercompressible up to 90 % strain, and exhibit Young’s moduli an order of magnitude higher than comparable bulk graphene aerogels while maintaining large surface areas.

Abstract

Abstract Graphene is a two-dimensional material that offers a unique combination of low density, exceptional mechanical properties, large surface area and excellent electrical conductivity. Recent progress has produced bulk 3D assemblies of graphene, such as graphene aerogels, but they possess purely stochastic porous networks, which limit their performance compared with the potential of an engineered architecture. Here we report the fabrication of periodic graphene aerogel microlattices, possessing an engineered architecture via a 3D printing technique known as direct ink writing. The 3D printed graphene aerogels are lightweight, highly conductive and exhibit supercompressibility (up to 90% compressive strain). Moreover, the Young’s moduli of the 3D printed graphene aerogels show an order of magnitude improvement over bulk graphene materials with comparable geometric density and possess large surface areas. Adapting the 3D printing technique to graphene aerogels realizes the possibility of fabricating a myriad of complex aerogel architectures for a broad range of applications.