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Laser Treatment Boosts Conductivity in Printed Graphene

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AMES, Iowa, Sept. 19, 2016 — Treating inkjet-printed, multilayer graphene electric circuits and electrodes with a pulsed-laser process improves electrical conductivity of the graphene without damaging paper, polymers or other fragile printing surfaces. The discovery of this technology could lead to low-cost applications for printed graphene electronics.

Researchers at Iowa State University developed a computer-controlled pulsed laser technology that selectively irradiates inkjet printed reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The treatment removes ink binders and reduces graphene oxide to graphene, physically stitching together millions of tiny graphene flakes.

Graphene researchers Iowa State U.
Suprem Das, left, and Jonathan Claussen are using lasers to treat printed graphene electronics. The process improves conductivity and enables flexible, wearable and low-cost electronics. Courtesy of Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University.

The researchers noted visible morphological changes in the graphene, which displayed favorable electrochemical sensing characteristics (ferricyanide cyclic voltammetry with a redox peak separation (ΔEp) ˜ 0.7 V as well as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) amperometry with a sensitivity of 3.32 µA mM-1 and a response time of <5 s).

“The laser works with a rapid pulse of high-energy photons that do not destroy the graphene or the substrate,” said researcher Suprem Das. “They heat locally. They bombard locally. They process locally.”

The researchers further showed that the pulsed laser process changed the shape and structure of the printed graphene from a 2D planar surface to one with raised, 3D nanostructures. The rough and ridged structure increases the electrochemical reactivity of the graphene, making it potentially useful for chemical and biological sensors.

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Graphene Iowa State U.
Courtesy of Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University.


“The breakthrough of this project is transforming the inkjet-printed graphene into a conductive material capable of being used in new applications,” said researcher Jonathan Claussen.

While graphene is strong, stable and an excellent conductor of electricity and heat, upscaling production of high-quality graphene has been challenging. The novel process used by the researchers at Iowa State improves the electrical conductivity of the printed graphene by more than a thousand times, while protecting sensitive substrates and device components from damaging heat or chemicals. 

“This creates a way to commercialize and scale-up the manufacturing of graphene,” said Claussen.

Jonathan Clausson Iowa State U.
Jonathan Claussen examines a batch of graphene ink. Courtesy of Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University.

The work could enable the creation of low-cost and disposable graphene-based electrochemical electrodes for a range of applications, including sensors with biological applications, energy storage systems, electrical conducting components and even paper-based electronics.

The research was published in Nanoscale (doi: 10.1039/C6NR04310K).

Published: September 2016
Glossary
photonics
The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...
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