Guest_Jim_* Posted October 21, 2015 Posted October 21, 2015 Just as there is a push to shrink the size of electronics, there is also a push to create flexible electronics, which would find new applications and potentially also be cheaper. Graphene has been getting a significant amount of attention since its discovery, because it is highly conductive, strong, transparent, and flexible. Now researchers at the University of Cambridge have successfully created a graphene ink that could be used to print flexible electronics. Graphene is an atom-thick sheet of carbon atoms with very desirable properties. By creating an ink from it, those properties can be easily brought to printed products to build in various electronic devices. To create the ink, the researchers first suspend particles of graphene in a carrier solvent mixture, which is combined with a conductive water-based ink. By varying the amounts of the ingredients, the properties of the ink can be controlled and potentially other materials than graphene could also be used. This ink can then be used in conventional roll-to-roll printers like what print newspapers, without modification. Previously, conductive inks like this relied on silver and are 25 times more expensive than this solution. Potential applications for this ink include printing disposable biosensors, energy harvesters, and RFID tags directly onto paper products and packaging. As current roll-to-roll printers are able to use this ink without modification and it can be printed at over 100 meters a minute, it should be easy for many graphics printing companies to start making products with this ink. Source: University of Cambridge Back to original news post Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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