Recent Development of Graphene-Based Ink and Other Conductive Material-Based Inks for Flexible Electronics

Abstract

The promising and extraordinary properties of graphene have attracted significant interest, making graphene an alternative to replace many traditional materials for many applications, particularly in conductive ink for the fabrication of flexible electronics. For the past 10 years, numerous studies have been reported on the synthesis of graphene conductive ink for printing on flexible substrates for various electronic applications. The development of graphene-based ink is reviewed, with the main focus on the types of graphene-like materials in conductive inks, and the compositions and important properties of those inks. Another intention behind this review is to compare the pros and cons of graphene-based ink with those using other common conductive materials, such as gold nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles, copper nanoparticles, conductive polymers and carbon nanotubes. Recent works on graphene hybrid-based ink containing other metallic nanoparticles as an alternative way to improve the electrical properties of the conductive inks are also reported. Brief comparisons between inkjet printing and other printing techniques for the fabrication of flexible electronics are discussed.