3D-Laminated Graphene with Combined Laser Irradiation and Resin Infiltration toward Designable Macrostructure and...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Macroscopic 3D graphene is crucial for advanced smart structures and devices.
• Existing laser-induced graphene (LIG) methods have limitations in size and geometry.
• Need for scalable and versatile 3D graphene fabrication techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel protocol for fabricating large-scale, 3D laser-induced graphene macrostructures.
• To investigate the impact of processing parameters on the multifunctional properties of 3D LIG composites.
• To demonstrate the application of the developed material in sensor systems.

Main Methods:

• Developed a new protocol involving laminating layers of laser-induced graphene papers (LIGPs).
• Combined resin infiltration and hot pressing to create 3D LIGP composites (LIGP-C).
• Systematically varied the number of laminated layers (1 to 10) to study property evolution.

Main Results:

• Achieved large-area, high-thickness, and customizable flat or curved 3D LIGP-C.
• Observed a dramatic ≈3900% improvement in piezoresistivity (gauge factor from 0.39 to 15.7) with increasing layers.
• Maintained excellent mechanical and electrical properties, alongside high durability in harsh environments.

Conclusions:

• The novel LIGP lamination method enables facile fabrication of large, multifunctional 3D graphene macrostructures.
• Densely packed fusion layers significantly enhance piezoresistive properties without compromising other key characteristics.
• Demonstrated a 5 × 5 sensor-array system using LIGP-C for accurate strain mapping on composite materials.