Ultra-high temperature oxide ceramics, known for their outstanding high-temperature strength, microstructural stability, oxidation and corrosion resistance, are anticipated to serve as the next generation of ultra-high temperature structural materials, suitable for prolonged use in high-temperature oxidizing environments, and are expected to have broad application potential in the aerospace sector. In recent years, laser additive manufacturing (LAM) technology has emerged as a prominent method for the preparation of ultra-high temperature oxide ceramics, characterized by advantages such as rapid near-net shaping, mold-free production, and high flexibility for fabricating complex-shaped parts, thereby establishing itself as a significant research hotspot. However, ceramics are highly prone to pore defects during LAM process, which not only hinders the subsequent deposition of samples but also leads to deterioration in the surface quality and mechanical properties of formed parts. This review firstly provides an overview of the basic principles and process characteristics of three LAM techniques, including selective laser sintering (SLS), laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), and laser directed energy deposition (LDED). It focuses on characteristics of pore defects, flow characteristics of molten pool, and formation mechanism of pore defects in the LAM of ultra-high temperature oxide ceramics. Furthermore, their research progress in suppressing pore defects is detailed from three aspects: optimization of process parameters, outfield assistance, and second-phase doping. Finally, their challenges associated with achieving practical engineering applications are summarized, along with prospective development trends and breakthrough points in the field, focusing on suppression of forming defects, powder characteristics and subsequent heat treatment.

SiC ceramics exhibit high strength and thermal stability, rendering them highly suitable for applications in space and thermal components. However, the growing demand for large-sized and complex-shaped SiC ceramics necessitates advanced manufacturing techniques. In comparison to traditional reduction and equal material manufacturing methods, 3D printing technology offers significant advantages in various aspects, such as manufacturing cycle, effective cost, and reliability. There are many 3D printing methods, each with distinct characteristics. Stereolithography (SLA) is capable of achieving high precision and superior surface quality. However, its practical applications often necessitate special design of support structures. Additionally, issues such as residual stress and low solid content significantly hinder its further development. Selective laser sintering (SLS) exhibits strong material compatibility, which is suitable for a wide range of materials, including polymers, metals and ceramics. This technology enables large-scale rapid prototyping at low manufacturing costs. But its surface quality of the formed billet is typically insufficient, which needs additional post-processing. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) though facilitates the preparation of SiC ceramics via reaction sintering, proves unsuitable for constructing large components which restricts its applicability in actual production contexts, due to its inadequate interlayer bonding strength coupled with pronounced surface striations and slower forming speeds. This paper reviews the latest research progresses of 3D-printed SiC ceramics and analyzes the subsequent high-temperature densification treatments of green bodies, along with their fundamental physical properties. Finally, it proposes some prospects of 3D printing of SiC ceramic materials, and strengthens integration of new 3D printing technologies and various printing methods for fine regulation of ceramics’ macro- and micro-structures.

As a kind of important functional material, flexible piezoelectric materials can realize the effective conversion between mechanical energy and electrical energy, with the advantages of good toughness, high plasticity and light weight. Therefore, they can be attached to the human body to obtain human or environment information in real time, which is widely used in the fields of motion detection, health monitoring, and human-computer interaction. Due to high requirements of various three-dimensional (3D) structures of the flexible piezoelectric materials, additive manufacturing has been extensively utilized to fabricate different kinds of piezoelectric materials. This technology is expected to break the bottleneck of traditional processing of piezoelectric material by improving the structural design freedom and the performance of flexible piezoelectric materials, and provides enormous potential and opportunities for the application of flexible piezoelectric materials. Based on the introduction of the classification and features of flexible piezoelectric materials, this paper explained the main additive manufacturing technologies, including fused deposition modeling, direct ink writing, selective laser sintering, electric-assisted direct writing, stereolithography, and inkjet printing that commonly used in processing these materials. Then, various structural designs, such as multi-layer structure, porous structure, and interdigital structure for the flexible piezoelectric materials produced by different additive manufacturing approaches were reviewed. Moreover, the applications of additive manufactured flexible piezoelectric materials in energy harvesting, piezoelectric sensing, human-computer interaction, and bioengineering were introduced. Finally, the challenges faced by additive manufacturing on processing flexible piezoelectric materials and the development trends in the future were summarized and prospected.

Oxide ceramics, known for their outstanding strength and excellent oxidation and corrosion resistance, are prime candidates for high-temperature structural materials of aero-engines. These materials hold vast potential for application in high-end equipment fields of the aerospace industry. Compared with traditional ceramic preparation methods, laser additive manufacturing (LAM) can directly realize the integrated forming from raw powders to high-performance components in one step. LAM stands out for its high forming efficiency and good flexibility, enabling rapid production of large complex structural components with high performance and high precision. Recently, research on LAM for melt-grown oxide ceramics, which involves liquid-solid phase transition, has surged as a hot topic. This paper begins by outlining the basic principles of LAM technology, with an emphasis on the process characteristics of two typical LAM technologies: selective laser melting and laser directed energy deposition. On this basis, the paper summarizes the microstructure characteristics of several different oxide ceramics prepared by LAM and examines how process parameters influence these microstructures. The differences in mechanical properties of laser additive manufactured oxide ceramics with different systems are also summarized. Finally, the existing problems in this field are sorted out and analyzed, and the future development trend is prospected.

Advanced ink printing techniques, such as printing and coating, have overcome the limitations of traditional manufacturing methods, allowing for rapid prototyping of films and electronic devices with sophisticated structures and specific functions. These techniques hold enormous potential in wearable smart identification, energy storage, electromagnetic shielding and absorption, touch display, and so on. The key to printing advanced energy and electronic devices lies in the development of cutting-edge functional inks and their corresponding printing technologies. MXene, a family of two-dimensional compounds composed of transition metal carbides, nitrides, or carbonitrides, was discovered in 2011. MXene exhibits remarkable physical and chemical properties, including high conductivity, pronounced hydrophilicity, and diverse surface chemistry, which has garnered significant attention within the research community and made it particularly suitable as inks in printing applications. Conducting research on the printing behavior and mechanisms of MXene inks is crucial not only for achieving high-precision patterns but also for establishing a solid foundation for manufacturing techniques that can precisely create multiscale, multimaterial and multifunctional films, and electronic devices. This article begins with a brief discussion of MXene flakes’ synthesis and colloidal stability, followed by a detailed examination of its rheological characteristics, printable ink formulation, and printing methods. Additional, special attention is given to the latest advances of MXene ink in energy, health, and sensing applications. The perspective concludes with a summary of current research challenges and future directions in this area, offering new perspectives and insights for researchers.