Graphene Inks Printed by Aerosol Jet for Sensing Applications: The Role of Dispersant on the Inks’ Formulation and Performance

This study presents graphene inks produced through the liquid-phase exfoliation of graphene flakes in water using optimized concentrations of dispersants (gelatin, triton X-100, and tween-20). The study explores and compares the effectiveness of the three different dispersants in creating stable and conductive inks. These inks can be printed onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates using an aerosol jet printer. The investigation aims to identify the most suitable dispersant to formulate a high-quality graphene ink for potential applications in printed electronics, particularly in developing chemiresistive sensors for IoT applications. Our findings indicate that triton X-100 is the most effective dispersant for formulating graphene ink (GTr), which demonstrated electrical conductivity (4.5 S·cm(−1)), a high nanofiller concentration of graphene flakes (12.2%) with a size smaller than 200 nm (<200 nm), a low dispersant-to-graphene ratio (5%), good quality as measured by Raman spectroscopy (I(D)/I(G) ≈ 0.27), and good wettability (θ ≈ 42°) over PET. The GTr’s ecological benefits, combined with its excellent printability and good conductivity, make it an ideal candidate for manufacturing chemiresistive sensors that can be used for Internet of Things (IoT) healthcare and environmental applications.