Printable graphene enables low cost consumer electronics

Graphene, a sheet of carbon that is one atom thick, has been hailed as a wonder material thanks to its strength and conductive properties.

But to date the process used to make printable graphene ink has limited the surfaces it can be applied to, making it unsuitable for truly low-cost applications.

Now researchers at Manchester University have developed a technique to allow graphene to be printed onto even delicate materials such as textiles, paper and plastic, according to Dr Zhirun Hu, lead researcher on the project. The researchers published their results this week in the journal Applied Physics Letters.

“The ink could be used for low-cost consumable electronics like security RFID tags or wearable electronics,” said Hu.

To make a printable graphene ink, flakes of the material are mixed with a solvent. Conventionally, a binder such as ethyl cellulose is also often added, to help ensure the resulting ink sticks to the surface, while also increasing its conductivity.