Functional Ink Formulation for Printing and Coating of Graphene and Other 2D Materials: Challenges and Solutions

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Two-dimensional (2D) materials exhibit unique properties due to their reduced dimensionality, enabling novel electronic and optoelectronic devices.
• Functional printing offers a scalable method for fabricating devices using 2D materials, with graphene-based applications advancing rapidly.
• A comprehensive understanding of ink formulation and exfoliation methods for hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and black phosphorus (BP) is currently lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of 2D material inks for functional printing.
• To summarize the exfoliation and ink formulation strategies for graphene, h-BN, TMDs, and BP.
• To highlight the potential of these materials in next-generation printed devices.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on liquid-phase exfoliation of 2D materials.
• Analysis of ink properties derived from exfoliated 2D materials.
• Summarization of strategies for formulating printable inks from dispersions.

Main Results:

• Graphene-based printed devices are transitioning from lab to mass production.
• Exfoliation and ink formulation data for h-BN, TMDs, and BP are scattered and require consolidation.
• Key features of graphene inks and strategies for h-BN, TMDs, and BP inks are presented.

Conclusions:

• Standardized exfoliation and ink formulation are crucial for advancing printed devices based on h-BN, TMDs, and BP.
• This perspective serves as a foundational resource for researchers and engineers in the field.
• Further research is needed to fully realize the potential of these 2D materials in printed electronics.