Eco-friendly all-carbon paper electronics fabricated by a solvent-free drawing method

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Traditional electronic sensors often rely on toxic materials and complex manufacturing processes.
• There is a growing need for sustainable and cost-effective sensor fabrication methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate high-performance, all-carbon temperature and infrared sensors using eco-friendly materials.
• To investigate the sensing mechanisms and performance characteristics of these novel sensors.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of sensors using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as the sensing element and graphite as electrical contacts.
• Utilizing recyclable and biodegradable cellulose filter paper as the substrate.
• Solvent-free, multi-step fabrication process without toxic materials or clean-room techniques.

Main Results:

• The temperature sensor exhibited a large negative temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) ranging from -3100 to -4900 ppm K⁻¹, with an activation energy of 34.85 meV.
• The infrared (IR) sensor demonstrated high responsivity (58.5 V W⁻¹), surpassing similar-dimensioned reported sensors.
• Conduction mechanism identified as thermally assisted hopping in band tails; photoresponse is bolometric.

Conclusions:

• High-performance all-carbon sensors can be fabricated on cellulose filter paper using low-cost, eco-friendly materials.
• The developed sensors offer comparable performance to existing commercial components.
• This approach bypasses the need for expensive clean-room processing and harmful chemicals, paving the way for sustainable electronics.