The “wonder material” takes an important step toward commercial applications like wearable wireless devices and sensors connected to the “Internet of Things”
Scientists have moved graphene — the incredibly strong and conductive single-atom-thick sheet of carbon — a significant step along the path from lab bench novelty to commercially viable material for new electronic applications.
Researchers from the University of Manchester, together with BGT Materials Limited, a graphene manufacturer in the United Kingdom, have printed a radio frequency antenna using compressed graphene ink. The antenna performed well enough to make it practical for use in radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and wireless sensors, the researchers said. Even better, the antenna is flexible, environmentally friendly and could be cheaply mass-produced. The researchers present their results in the journal Applied Physics Letters, from AIP Publishing.
The study demonstrates that printable graphene is now ready for commercial use in low-cost radio frequency applications, said Zhirun Hu, a researcher in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Manchester.
“The point is that graphene is no longer just a scientific wonder. It will bring many new applications to our daily life very soon,” added Kostya S. Novoselov, from the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester, who coordinated the project.
Graphene Gets Inked
Since graphene was first isolated and tested in 2004, researchers have striven to make practical use of its amazing electrical and mechanical properties. One of the first commercial products manufactured from graphene was conductive ink, which can be used to print circuits and other electronic components.
Graphene ink is generally low cost and mechanically flexible, advantages it has over other types of conductive ink, such as solutions made from metal nanoparticles.
To make the ink, graphene flakes are mixed with a solvent, and sometimes a binder like ethyl cellulose is added to help the ink stick. Graphene ink with binders usually conducts electricity better than binder-free ink, but only after the binder material, which is an insulator, is broken down in a high-heat process called annealing. Annealing, however, limits the surfaces onto which graphene ink can be printed because the high temperatures destroy materials like paper or plastic.
The University of Manchester research team, together with BGT Materials Limited, found a way to increase the conductivity of graphene ink without resorting to a binder. They accomplished this by first printing and drying the ink, and then compressing it with a roller, similar to the way new pavement is compressed with a road roller.
Compressing the ink increased its conductivity by more than 50 times, and the resulting “graphene laminate” was also almost two times more conductive than previous graphene ink made with a binder.
The high conductivity of the compressed ink, which enabled efficient radio frequency radiation, was one of the most exciting aspects of the experiment, Hu said.
Paving the Way to Antennas, Wireless Sensors, and More
The researchers tested their compressed graphene laminate by printing a graphene antenna onto a piece of paper. The antenna measured approximately 14 centimeters long, and 3.5 millimeter across and radiated radio frequency power effectively, said Xianjun Huang, who is the first author of the paper and a PhD candidate in the Microwave and Communcations Group in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
Printing electronics onto cheap, flexible materials like paper and plastic could mean that wireless technology, like RFID tags that currently transmit identifying info on everything from cattle to car parts, could become even more ubiquitous.
Most commercial RFID tags are made from metals like aluminium and copper, Huang said, expensive materials with complicated fabrication processes that increase the cost.
Read more: Scientists Print Low Cost Radio Frequency Antenna with Graphene Ink
The Latest on: Graphene RFID tags
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Graphene RFID tags” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Graphene RFID tags
- RFID-protected wallets that look stylish and keep your information safeon May 10, 2024 at 12:31 pm
According to the Department of Homeland Security, RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. This refers to info stored in a wireless device or tag that can be collected from a distance without ...
- Wonder Material 'More Remarkable' Than Graphene Has Medical Potentialon May 7, 2024 at 8:55 am
Scientists may have found a material "more remarkable" than graphene that presents a wealth of medical potential. Borophene is thinner, more conductive, lighter and stronger than graphene.
- Beware of graphene’s huge and hidden environmental costson May 6, 2024 at 4:59 pm
Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China. In China, local governments herald graphene-manufacturing bases as a panacea for economic development. But only Shanghai has issued ...
- The Flash Pro Plus gives you a power supply anywhere for only $199.97on April 27, 2024 at 7:00 am
TL;DR: Need to charge on the go? The Flash Pro Plus, a graphene power bank powered by Panasonic™, makes it easy to charge your Apple and Android devices anywhere. It’s now only $199.97 ...
- Conductive Ink Market Is Encouraged to Reach USD 5.6 Billion by 2033 at a CAGR of 6.3%on April 26, 2024 at 2:15 am
According to Market.us, the Conductive Ink Market size is projected to surpass around USD 5.6 billion by 2033, from USD 3.5 billion in 2023, and it is poised to reach a registered CAGR of 6.3% from ...
- Goldene: New 2D form of gold makes graphene look boringon April 17, 2024 at 12:29 am
Graphene is a bit like the Novak Djokovic of materials – it’s so damn talented that each new achievement feels passé. But now, an exciting new upstart is challenging graphene’s title.
- Scientists finally make ‘goldene’, potentially breakthrough new materialon April 16, 2024 at 3:26 am
The work follows the successful production of graphene, which is made out of a single layer graphite atoms. That has been hailed as a miracle material: it is astonishingly strong, and much better ...
- Carbon Nanotube and Graphene Device Physicson June 14, 2023 at 2:07 am
Chen, Pai-Yen and Alu, Andrea 2013. Terahertz Metamaterial Devices Based on Graphene Nanostructures. IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology, Vol. 3, Issue. 6, p. 748. Nguyen, Ngoc Hieu ...
- Graphene proves a perfect fit for wearable deviceson December 17, 2015 at 3:19 am
Examples of communication devices include: • In a hospital, a patient wears a printed graphene RFID tag on his or her arm. The tag, integrated with other 2D materials, can sense the patient’s body ...
- Graphene antenna ‘could deliver cheap, flexible sensors’on May 20, 2015 at 2:20 am
Scientists at The University of Manchester have revealed a graphene antenna capable of delivering cheaper, more powerful and more sustainable RFID tags and wireless sensors. Made from compressed ...
via Bing News