Laser-induced graphene as a “materials toolbox” for energy storage, conversion and harvesting applications

Laser-induced graphene (LIG) has emerged as a versatile, sustainable material for advanced energy technologies, offering a scalable, catalyst-free, and programmable method to directly convert carbon-rich substrates into porous, conductive graphene. This single-step laser writing approach enables flexible, patternable electrodes without complex post-processing. With its high conductivity, large surface area, and tunable chemistry, LIG is well-suited for diverse applications including batteries, supercapacitors, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), dual cells, water-splitting electrocatalysis, and triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). In energy storage, LIG improves charge transport, buffer volume changes, and provides a robust framework, enhancing capacitance, cycling stability, and rate capability. Its catalytic activity is further boosted through heteroatom doping or transition-metal incorporation, achieving HER/OER performance comparable to noble metals. In DSSCs, LIG functions as a flexible, low-cost alternative to platinum counter electrodes, while in TENGs, its strong triboelectric response and mechanical durability enable integration into self-powered, wearable systems. Despite the immense recent progress in this field, challenges remain regarding the scalability, long-term operational stability, and interfacial engineering of LIG-based composites. Further exploration into multi-laser systems, substrate diversity, and synergistic composite architectures will be crucial to optimizing device performance and reliability. Nevertheless, the green, cost-efficient, rapid, and programmable synthesis of LIG poses it as a cornerstone potential building block material in the development of future sustainable and multifunctional energy systems. Throughout the review we compare fabrication strategies, summarize performance metrics against relevant benchmarks, and identifying common mechanistic advantages conferred by the laser writing process. Remaining challenges—such as scale-up, precursor diversity, long-term environmental stability, and integration into complex device architectures—are outlined alongside prospective research directions. Collectively, this review article provides an in-depth perspective on the multifunctional nature of LIG, underscoring its promise in next-generation energy storage, conversion, harvesting applications, and laying the groundwork for future research directions.