Printable electronics have to date been limited by the lower electron mobility and hence operation speed of organic materials compared to silicon, the production cost,processing requirements and performance of metal or carbon nanoparticle-based inks. Current generation transparent and electrically conductive layers are stiff and brittle and hence limit flexible electronic applications.

    Professor Andrea Ferrari and his team in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge have developed a novel method of ink production based on layered nanomaterials such as graphene. This technology overcomes the issues of current printable inks and can be printed by various methods on flexible substrates.

    - Tailored electrical and optical properties depending on material (e.g. mobility>100cm2/V/s)
    - Good optical and electrical homogeneity of deposited material (<10% std dev)
    - Mechanical flexibility and environmental stability
    - Large scale deposition possible using full range of printing methods including inkjet printing
    - Suitable for printing of multiple layers