Electrical engineering

Fabrication

Pathology

Nanotechnology

Electrode

Electrical conductor

Printed electronics

Conductive ink

Inkwell

Engineering

Electronics

Physical chemistry

Composite material

Chemistry

Screen printing

Materials science

Alternative medicine

Layer (electronics)

Graphene

Sheet resistance

Flexible electronics

Capacitance

Supercapacitor

Medicine

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

Conductive inks for the future printed electronics should have the following merits: high conductivity, flexibility, low cost, and compatibility with wide range of substrates. However, the state-of-the-art conductive inks based on metal nanoparticles are high in cost and poor in flexibility. Herein, we reported a highly conductive, low cost, and super flexible ink based on graphene nanoplatelets. The graphene ink has been screen-printed on plastic and paper substrates. Combined with postprinting treatments including thermal annealing and compression rolling, the printed graphene pattern shows a high conductivity of 8.81 × 104 S m–1 and good flexibility without significant conductivity loss after 1000 bending cycles. We further demonstrate that the printed highly conductive graphene patterns can act as current collectors for supercapacitors. The supercapacitor with the printed graphene pattern as the current collector and printed activated carbon as the active material shows a good rate capability of up to 200 mV s–1. This work potentially provides a promising route toward the large-scale fabrication of low cost yet flexible printed electronic devices.

Screen-Printing of a Highly Conductive Graphene Ink for Flexible Printed Electronics