Graphene Ink

What is ink?

Ink is a mixture of ingredients formulated to create a substance containing pigments or dyes that is used to color a surface. Inks usually come in liquid or paste form, and can be divided into four general classes of aqueous, liquid, paste and powder.

Most inks contain four basic components: colorants (that grant color and opacity), binders (mostly resins that serve to hold together other components), additives (like wax or chalk, used to grant specific traits) and carrier substances (like oils, which allow the ink to flow, spread and transfer). The ink industry is valued at over $10 billion as ink is somewhat ubiquitous and found in writing paraphernalia and print (including newspapers and books).

What are the common types of ink?

Inks are roughly divided into printing inks and writing inks. Writing inks, like the ones found in pens, started out using water-based dye systems and evolved into paste oil-based dyes that improve ink flow, and are generally more non smearing and quicker to dry than water-based systems.

Printing inks are categorized in two groups: inks for conventional printing (using a mechanical plate that transfers an image to the printed object) and inks for non-impact printing like ink-jet and electrophotographic technologies.

Conductive inks

Conductive inks contain components that provide the function of conductivity. Such components may be comprised of silver, carbon, graphite, or other precious metal coated base material. Common conductive inks can be classified into three categories: noble metals, conductive polymers, and carbon nanomaterials. Conductive inks can be used in various ways, including screen printing, flexographic or rotogravure, spray, dip, and more. A selection of conductive inks are offered on the market, to meet the demands of many applications: electronics, sensors, antennae, touch screens, printed heaters and more.

What is graphene?

Graphene is the thinnest and strongest material known to man. It is also an excellent electrical and heat conductor that has unique optical properties. Graphene is a 2D material made of carbon atoms, arranged in a honeycomb lattice. Its myriad qualities make graphene worthy of the title “wonder material”, with endless potential for all sorts of applications from membranes to electronics.

Graphene inks

Carbon nanomaterials offer many possibilities for printed and flexible electronics. The electrical properties of carbon nanotubes and graphene are particularly promising, and have been exploited in a number of applications from thin-film transistors (TFTs) and electrochemical sensors to supercapacitors and photovoltaics. Due to its high charge carrier mobility, superlative thermal and chemical stability and intrinsic flexibility, graphene has been demonstrated for a number of applications in printed electronics including chemical and thermal sensors, supercapacitors and more.

Graphene inks expand the possibilities for applications such as printed electronics, packaging and electronics, but often need to be specially formulated or adjusted for specific uses, like unique substrates or processing/printing methods (rotogravure, flexo, or screen printing processes etc.) as demands vary for the different uses. Screen printing, for example, usually requires optimal coverage capability while flexographic printing warrants rapid drying.

The graphene inks market

The graphene market can be a confusing one. While there are some companies that sell graphene inks, like Haydale and Vorbeck Materials, many other companies are involved in different aspects of the market. For example, Angstron Materials do not sell graphene inks but offer graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) that can be dispersed in solvent to create graphene ink of sorts. Other companies are in various stages of developing graphene inks and accessory products. Graphene 3D printing can be done by using a liquid similar to ink, yet it is different than the inks that are used for other applications.

If you’re interested in graphene inks and wish to find the one suitable for your needs, contact Graphene-info - the graphene experts. We use our unique market familiarity and understanding to assist you in finding exactly what you are looking for.

Further reading

 

 

Latest Graphene Ink news

Versarien updates on recent progress

Versarien has shared updates on its progress across several key sectors and markets, reporting a growing pipeline of opportunities, rising from £1.6 million (over USD$2 million) in October 2023 to £4.7 million currently (over USD$6,100,000), with £1.6 million (over USD$2 million) in commercial opportunities and £3.1 million (over USD$4 million) in grants. The Company said it continued to focus on developing advanced materials, especially graphene, through manufacturing-light operations and technology licensing.

In the construction sector, the company said it had placed orders for equipment to enhance its in-house construction testing capabilities following a July fundraising. The equipment would support the development of graphene-based products, such as Cementene. Versarien said it had also signed its first significant 3D construction printing (3DCP) contract with Building For Humanity CIC for a project in Accrington, UK. The Company anticipated on-site activities to begin in 2025.

Read the full story Posted: Oct 05,2024

AMD announces breakthrough that could open new opportunities replacing metals in printed electronics

Researchers from Advanced Material Development (AMD) and the University of Sussex have announced what they refer to as "a major enhancement" in their carbon nanomaterial-based inks, reaching conductivity levels of 3,000,000 Sm-¹, approaching the performance of incumbent metal-based solutions.

With years of experience with graphitic inks, that previously achieved industry-best conductivity of 500,000 Sm-¹ (several times more conductive than other non-metal inks) - the latest breakthrough seems to significantly raise the bar. 

Read the full story Posted: Sep 09,2024

Haydale Graphene Industries and Staircraft report progress on graphene-based underfloor heating trials

Specialist structural flooring manufacturers Staircraft have been testing the use of Haydale's graphene-based functional ink for application on their innovative chipboard flooring system. Significant investment has reportedly been made to get the new flooring system to adopt a heating solution that is cost effective and easy to install.

In a recent trial, Staircraft has reported very encouraging results and is now focused on continuing to collect definitive data before introducing the concept to their customer base. 

Read the full story Posted: Jul 13,2024

Researchers develop improved graphene micro supercapacitors for wearables

Researchers from China University of Petroleum (East China), Henan Agricultural University and Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed an additive-free 3D printing process to construct graphene micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) with unprecedented electrochemical properties and seamless integrability. The team states that this achievement overcomes existing manufacturing limitations and brings closer the on-chip MSC arrays essential for the next generation of wearables.

Wearable devices require ever-smaller on-board energy solutions that can deliver bursts of power while remaining unobtrusive. Rigid coin batteries restrict device flexibility and ergonomics. Leading microscale alternatives include micro-supercapacitors (MSCs), which store and discharge energy rapidly owing to highly porous electrode materials interfacing with electrolytes. Supercapacitors’ quick charge ability and resilience to repeated charging cycles make them appealing to supplement batteries. However, difficulties producing intricately designed MSC devices that also offer high performance have confined MSCs to the lab. Conventional manufacturing techniques often lack suitable precision, flexibility, and scalability.

Read the full story Posted: Feb 27,2024

Versarien's turnaround strategy to benefit from Gnanomat's new funding

Versarien has reported that its Spanish business has secured funding for a new project, in a boost to the group’s turnaround strategy. The Company said its majority-owned subsidiary, Gnanomat, has been awarded a grant of around €415,000 (around USD$445,660) by a government body.

Gnanomat will use the money to help develop and commercialize a new line of conductive inks based on Versarien's nanomaterials, for use in the production of electronic goods.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 13,2023

Haydale announces new contract with Cadent for graphene ink-based low-power radiator heaters

Haydale has announced its next collaboration with Cadent, to develop graphene ink-based low-power radiator heaters. The £350,000 three-stage project will run for 12-months and is aiming to develop a tested and validated market-ready product as a cost-effective alternative for Cadent's customers when their gas supply is interrupted.

Following continued success on the low-power, battery operated water heating development, the aim for the latest project is to incorporate the same graphene-ink based technology into different designs to deliver bespoke solutions for a wide range of customer requirements.

Read the full story Posted: Jul 24,2023

Researchers develop "e-skin" from graphene and seaweed microcapsules

Researchers at Queen Mary University, University of Sussex and University of Brighton have integrated graphene into seaweed to create nanocomposite microcapsules for highly tunable and sustainable epidermal electronics. When assembled into networks, the tiny capsules can record muscular, breathing, pulse, and blood pressure measurements in real-time with ultrahigh precision.

The team explained that much of the current research on nanocomposite-based sensors is related to non-sustainable materials. This means that these devices contribute to plastic waste when they are no longer in use. The new study shows that it is possible to combine molecular gastronomy concepts with biodegradable materials to create such devices that are not only environmentally friendly, but also have the potential to outperform the non-sustainable ones.

Read the full story Posted: Jun 30,2023

Haydale awarded SMART funding to bring graphene products to market

Haydale has announced that it has been awarded SMART Flexible Innovation Support ("SMART FIS") from The Welsh Government to accelerate the development of its graphene underfloor heating product and range of biomedical sensor inks.

As part of a new innovation strategy for Wales, aimed at supporting Welsh industry by increased investment in research, development, and innovation, SMART FIS will provide Haydale with funding totaling £182,843 over a two-year period. Part of this funding will enable Haydale to accelerate the development of its prototype graphene underfloor heating ("UFH") towards a market-ready CE product that can be tested in a home environment. It will support continued engagement with partners such as City Energy Network Ltd and Plumbase.

Read the full story Posted: May 03,2023

LayerOne and SINTEF collaborate on graphene-based conductive inks project

LayerOne (formerly  Abalonyx) and SINTEF  (a Norway-based research institute) have secured funding from The Norwegian Research Council for the development of innovative, scalable and sustainable conductive inks based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The rGO-based inks promise improved electrical conductivity and stability surpassing traditional carbon-based inks and offering a less toxic and more cost-effective alternative to metal-based inks.

The research project is a result of LayerOne’s recent breakthrough in developing a new grade of rGO with an electrical conductivity two orders of magnitude greater than standard rGO grades. In the project, LayerOne will supply the advanced rGO materials while SINTEF will leverage and build on its experience from recently concluded projects on printed electronics to develop the new conductive inks.

Read the full story Posted: Mar 29,2023

Researchers develop a sprayable graphene biosensing platform for rapid and low-cost chemical sensing

Scientists from Imperial College London and Catania University & CNR-IMM have developed a novel graphene ink that can be used to detect a variety of chemical substances when layered on top of commercially available printed circuit boards (PCBs) as a thin film.

In their recent paper, the team demonstrated a novel and versatile sensing platform, based on electrolyte-gated graphene field-effect transistors, for easy, low-cost and scalable production of chemical sensor test strips. The Lab-on-PCB platform is enabled by low-boiling, low-surface-tension sprayable graphene ink deposited on a substrate manufactured using a commercial printed circuit board process. 

Read the full story Posted: Mar 23,2023