Chemical blowing strategy for three-dimensional graphene materials: Overcoming graphene restacking and integrating macro/microstructural construction

Carbon materials, characterized by diverse allotropes, have played critical roles in the advancement of human civilization and industrial manufacturing. As a prominent allotrope, two-dimensional (2D) graphene materials have attracted increasing attention since their discovery owing to their exceptional properties; however, they suffer from the fundamental challenges of restacking and agglomeration, which diminish their performance in practical applications. The design of three-dimensional (3D) frameworks composed of 2D graphene sheets is considered an effective strategy to resolve these issues and enable the efficient utilization of the properties of graphene. Compared with conventional fabrication methods, such as graphene oxide assembly and template-assisted chemical vapor deposition, the chemical blowing strategy is distinguished by its low cost, facile process, and superior controllability. Despite these advantages, few review articles have focused specifically on the fabrication of 3D graphene materials via chemical blowing. This review outlines the chemical blowing strategy and clarifies the fundamentals of the blowing process, its historical evolution, and the classification of 3D graphene materials. Subsequently, the recent progress in 3D graphene foams and powders fabricated via chemical blowing is detailed, with an emphasis on the underlying synthesis chemistry. Following an analysis of the correlation between 3D graphene foam and powder materials, their design considerations and functional applications are discussed. This discussion provides recommendations for the synthesis of specific 3D graphene materials and elucidates their differences and commonalities across various application scenarios. Finally, after a brief summary, current challenges, opportunities, and future research directions for the development of chemical blowing are proposed.