Printable Inks Made of Conductive 2D Materials Beyond Graphene for Micro-Electrochemical Devices

Projektbeschreibung

Neue Farbe auf Basis von 2D-Materialien zum Drucken flexibler Sensoren

Unzählige Geräte sind auf Technologien der gedruckten Elektronik angewiesen, damit sie funktionieren und flexibel sind. Trotz Fortschritten beim Tintenstrahldrucken gibt es so gut wie keine geeigneten leitfähigen Farbformeln, um flexible und kleinere elektrochemische Sensoren zu drucken. Im Rahmen des EU-finanzierten Projekts PIC2D soll eine Farbformulierung entwickelt werden, die auf Übergangsmetall-Dichalkogeniden und leitenden metallorganischen Gerüsten basiert. Diesen zweidimensionalen Materialien wurde trotz ihrer außergewöhnlichen elektrochemischen und elektronischen Eigenschaften bisher kaum Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt, was ihre Nutzung in gedruckten Geräten betrifft. Geeignete leitende Farbe eröffnet neue Möglichkeiten für hochflexible elektrochemische Sensoren, die für Anwendungen des Internets der Dinge eingesetzt werden können.

Ziel

In the framework of Internet of Things (IoTs), sensors able to monitor biochemical compounds are extremely important. Electrochemical sensors (ECSs) are the most promising tools to provide analytical information. Current challenge of ECS is the fabrication requirement changing from traditional rigid and planar substrates to flexible/wearable substrates for integrated portable devices, as well as the electrochemical reactor shift from conventional three electrodes to micro-fluidic system in order to make sensors smaller. Inkjet printing is a cost-effectiveness technology to create micro-ECS on versatile substrates with noncontact and precisely patterning.

Despite various advantages of this technique, challenges remain in the development of printable ink formulations with suitable properties for target devices. Two dimensional (2D) materials are attracting increasing interest because of their maximally exposed active sites and small diffusion paths within ultrathin nanosheets, which effectively facilitate charge transfer in the electrochemical sensing activities. 1T phase transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and conductive layered Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) have been demonstrated to have distinct electrochemical and electronic properties, while they have not yet received attentions for use in printed devices. The various metal sites, diverse structure and tuneable nature of these materials have great potential for high selective and sensitive monitor.

This project aims at developing printable ink formulations based on 1T TMDs and conductive 2D MOFs to fabricate micro-electrochemical sensors on flexible substrates for biometric parameters determination. Highly selective, efficient and low cost devices are supposed to be achieved. This research ranges from material development and device fabrication to proof-of-concept applications, hence the results are expected to raise strong interest from both research community and industry.