Foldable paper electronics by direct-write laser patterning

Abstract

We report a laser-ablation aided, direct-write fabrication technique that could convert non-conductive paper rinsed with metal ions and polymer solution into conductive metal carbide and graphene with a typical sheet resistance of 45.3 Ω/□. As fabricated paper electronics inherit the microfiber network from paper and have nanoscale pores and 2D metal carbide flakes due to the laser ablation process. This conducive porous structure could be potentially utilized for sensor and capacitor applications, which usually need large specific area. As preliminary demonstrations, we show a wireless moisture sensor and a supercapacitor fabricated with this foldable paper based electronics. Experimentally, the moisture changes are successfully detected in ambient environment by a paper-based moisture sensor and the paper-based supercapacitor has a measured capacitance of 1.2 mF/cm ² . As such, this laser converted paper electronics could be useful for multiple applications such as sensors and energy storage devices.