Advanced Manufacturing of Composite‐Based Systems for Energy Applications

ABSTRACT

Electrochemical energy devices are increasingly expected to deliver high energy and power density while also meeting requirements for safety, mechanical compliance, geometric freedom, and tight integration with sensing and control electronics. In most commercial platforms, however, these functions remain compartmentalized as electrodes and electrolytes are engineered primarily for electrochemical performance, while thermal management, gas mitigation, and diagnostics are appended as external layers or separate circuitry. This separation constrains coupled optimization of charge, heat, and mass transport, limiting the development of truly multifunctional, form‐factor–agnostic systems. This review adopts a materials‐centric hybrid‐manufacturing perspective to evaluate how additive manufacturing (AM) can overcome these constraints. We survey AM methods relevant to energy technologies such as material extrusion, electrohydrodynamic/electrostatic printing, and coating approaches that bridge conventional slurry processing with architected three‐dimensional constructs. We then examine key material families through printability–function linkages, including polymers, ceramics, metal oxides, and composites for ion transport, thermal regulation, solid‐state protection, and embedded sensing. Finally, distill microstructural design principles connecting voxel‐scale architectures to transport, percolation/tunneling networks, tortuosity and connectivity control, stimuli‐responsive pathways, and multimaterial/gradient interfaces—highlight case studies and remaining challenges in precision, compatibility, and scale‐up.