Michael Orrill1, Dustin Abele2, Michael Wagner3, Saniya LeBlanc4. 1. The George Washington University, 800 22nd St NW Suite 3000, Washington, DC 20052, USA. Electronic address: micahel_orrill@gwu.edu. 2. The George Washington University, 800 22nd St NW Suite 4000, Washington, DC 20052, USA. Electronic address: dustintabele@gwu.edu. 3. The George Washington University, 800 22nd St NW Suite 4000, Washington, DC 20052, USA. Electronic address: wagnerm@gwu.edu. 4. The George Washington University, 800 22nd St NW Suite 3000, Washington, DC 20052, USA. Electronic address: sleblanc@gwu.edu.
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS: Most functional inkjet inks are sterically stabilized nanoparticle dispersions that require a post-printing-process to remove stabilizing materials and gain functionality. This post-process limits material selection and increases fabrication time and complexity for printed devices. By optimizing the electrostatic stability of a carbon nanomaterial dispersed in water or ethylene glycol via pH adjustment, a stable and printable ink should be attainable without a steric stabilizing material and hence the post-process may be avoided. EXPERIMENTS: The electrostatic stability of multilayer graphene nanoshells (MGNS)-an inexpensive and net carbon-negative nanomaterial-dispersed in water and ethylene glycol was studied by measuring zeta potential as a function of pH and modeling energetic potentials between particles. Requirements for electrical percolation of printed MGNS were analyzed and corroborated with electrical measurements. FINDINGS: Electrostatic stability improved with increased zeta potential caused by an increased pH. Ionic strength also increased with pH, causing strong destabilization. By increasing zeta potential while minimizing ionic strength, the maximum solid-loading of MGNS in DI water and ethylene glycol was increased up to 20%. For the MGNS solid-loading achieved here, electrical percolation occurs with 20-30 consecutively printed layers producing a resistivity of 30 Ω-cm. The inexpensive, environmentally-friendly MGNS are a promising material for printed, flexible electronics.
HYPOTHESIS: Most functional inkjet inks are sterically stabilized nanoparticle dispersions that require a post-printing-process to remove stabilizing materials and gain functionality. This post-process limits material selection and increases fabrication time and complexity for printed devices. By optimizing the electrostatic stability of a carbon nanomaterial dispersed in water or ethylene glycol via pH adjustment, a stable and printable ink should be attainable without a steric stabilizing material and hence the post-process may be avoided. EXPERIMENTS: The electrostatic stability of multilayer graphene nanoshells (MGNS)-an inexpensive and net carbon-negative nanomaterial-dispersed in water and ethylene glycol was studied by measuring zeta potential as a function of pH and modeling energetic potentials between particles. Requirements for electrical percolation of printed MGNS were analyzed and corroborated with electrical measurements. FINDINGS: Electrostatic stability improved with increased zeta potential caused by an increased pH. Ionic strength also increased with pH, causing strong destabilization. By increasing zeta potential while minimizing ionic strength, the maximum solid-loading of MGNS in DI water and ethylene glycol was increased up to 20%. For the MGNS solid-loading achieved here, electrical percolation occurs with 20-30 consecutively printed layers producing a resistivity of 30 Ω-cm. The inexpensive, environmentally-friendly MGNS are a promising material for printed, flexible electronics.
Authors: Neuma M Pereira; Natália P Rezende; Thiago H R Cunha; Ana P M Barboza; Glaura G Silva; Daniel Lippross; Bernardo R A Neves; Hélio Chacham; Andre S Ferlauto; Rodrigo G Lacerda Journal: ACS Omega Date: 2022-03-10