Surfactant-assisted water-based graphene conductive inks for flexible electronic applications

Background: Inkjet printing of graphene conductive inks plays a critical role in the technological advancement in flexible and stretchable electronics applications. In this study, water-based graphene conductive ink was fabricated and printed through inkjet printing on polyethylene terephthalate substrate. Methods: Deionized (DI) water and three different types of surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and Gum Arabic GA)) were utilized in the preparation of graphene conductive inks. Significant Finding: Among other conductive ink formulations, graphene conductive inks fabricated using the DI/PVP surfactant exhibit relatively higher wetting and stability properties. In addition, this formulation led to an increment of about 80% in electrical conductivity compared to DI water-based conductive ink. The results revealed an improvement of about 50 times in the electrical conductivity of the printed film when the number of the printing cycle was increased from 1 to 10. Furthermore, it was observed that under 50% tensile strain, the graphene film prepared using the PVP surfactant exhibited only a 0.12% drop in electrical conductivity. Therefore, it is inferred that the conductive inks prepared from DI/PVP surfactants are highly suitable for use in flexible and wearable electronics. (c) 2021 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.