Abstract
Solution processing-based fabrication techniques such as liquid phase exfoliation may enable economically feasible utilization of graphene and related nanomaterials in real-world devices in the near future. However, measurement of the thickness of the thin film structures fabricated by these approaches remains a significant challenge. By using surface plasmon resonance (SPR), a simple, accurate, and quick measurement of the deposited thickness for inkjet-printed graphene thin films is reported here. We show that the SPR technique is convenient and well-suited for the measurement of thin films formulated from nanomaterial inks, even at sub-10 nm thickness. We also demonstrate that the analysis required to obtain results from the SPR measurements is significantly reduced compared to that required for atomic force microscopy (AFM) or stylus profilometer, and much less open to interpretation. The gathered data implies that the film thickness increases linearly with increasing number of printing repetitions. In addition, SPR also reveals the complex refractive index of the printed thin films composed of exfoliated graphene flakes, providing a more rigorous explanation of the optical absorption than that provided by a combination of AFM/profilometer and the extinction coefficient of mechanically exfoliated graphene flakes. Our results suggest that the SPR method may provide a new pathway for the thickness measurement of thin films fabricated from any nanomaterial containing inks.
Highlights
Over the past decade, graphene and other two-dimensional (2d) materials have been extensively studied, attracting considerable interest for a range of applications.[1]
We demonstrate that the analysis required to obtain results from the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measurements is significantly reduced compared to that required for atomic force microscopy (AFM) or stylus profilometer, and much less open to interpretation
We have shown that SPR can be used to accurately measure the thickness of inkjet-printed graphene thin films
Summary
Graphene and other two-dimensional (2d) materials have been extensively studied, attracting considerable interest for a range of applications.[1]. Many proof-of-concept devices have recently been reported that begin to demonstrate the potential for exploiting these properties.[1] As a result, the current expectation is that many commercial device components developed from such nanomaterials will emerge in the near future. It is crucial that basic research is conducted and corresponding progress is simultaneously made in the development of suitable, economically competitive fabrication techniques. The key requirements for such processes are that it is low-cost, scalable, and compatible with as many different substrate materials as possible. One set of promising production methods that fulfill these requirements are solution processing-based approaches which formulate nanomaterial-based inks suitable for deposition on a range of substrates with pre-existing graphics/functional printing and coating techniques.[10]
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