Conductive ink breakthrough reduces cost of graphene printed electronics

Printed conductive inks are being developed for transistors, sensors, antennae, RFID tags and wearable electronics for use on different substrates for space-constrained applications, including IoT applications, where small, low power and inexpensive endpoints define the network.

Printed electronics offer a breakthrough in the penetration of information technology into everyday life. The possibility of printing electronic circuits will further promote the spread of Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Commenting on the material, known as Cyrene, Kewen Pan, the lead author on the paper said: “This perhaps is a significant step towards commercialisation of printed graphene technology. I believe it would be an evolution in printed electronics industry because the material is such low cost, stable and environmental friendly”. Research continues into the use of graphene for faster transistors semiconductors, flexible screens and phones and wearable electronics.

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) partnered with the National Graphene Institute at the University of Manchester to provide a materials characterisation service. They have jointly published a good practice guide to measuring the characteristics of graphene.