3D Printing of Flexible Electronic Devices

Compared to traditional , simple, planar or tubular flexible devices fabricated by spin-coating, casting, or extrusion, 3D-printed flexible electronic devices possess complicated geometries with precisely prescribed microarchitectures and excellent mechanical properties for satisfying all kinds of individual requirements. However, the full utilization of 3D-printing technology to realize 3D-printed flexible electronic devices remains limited by the flexibility and conductivity of 3D-printing materials. To achieve 3D-printed flexible electronic devices, the flexibility of 3D-printed flexible devices and functionalization of conductive materials or hard silicon-based electronic devices are combined. These 3D-printed flexible electronic devices can be applied widely in the fields of personal wearable devices, prosthetic organs for the disabled, and human-computer interfaces. To further promote the rapid advent of 3D-printed flexible electronic devices, the recent strategies and future developmental directions of fabricating these complex electronic devices are discussed here.