Communications of the ACM
Iowa State Engineers Treat Printed Graphene With Lasers to Enable Paper Electronics, Devices
Reserachers at Iowa State University team say they have developed a way to use inkjet printers to print multi-layer graphene circuits and electrodes.
Credit: AlexanderAIUS
An Iowa State University team says it has developed a new way to use inkjet printers to print multi-layer graphene circuits and electrodes.
The nanoengineers say their pulsed-laser process improves electrical conductivity without damaging paper, polymers, or other fragile printing surfaces. Their computer-controlled laser technology selectively irradiates inkjet-printed graphene oxide.
The researchers say the treatment removes ink binders and reduces graphene oxide to graphene by physically stitching together millions of tiny graphene flakes. They also note the process improves electrical conductivity by more than 1,000-fold.
The team also says localized laser processing changes the shape and structure of the printed graphene from a flat surface to one with raised, three-dimensional nanostructures, which increases the electrochemical reactivity of the graphene.
The team reports the laser-treatment process could lead to paper-based electronics with graphene circuits.
The use of lasers to treat graphene also could herald "the creation of low-cost and disposable graphene-based electrochemical electrodes for myriad applications, including sensors, biosensors, fuel cells, and (medical) devices," the team notes in a paper.
From Iowa State University News Service
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