Rapid and efficient intense pulsed light reduction of graphene oxide inks for flexible printed electronics

In this study, a printable GO ink was prepared by dispersing 120 mg GO in 30 ml mixed solvents (deionized water : ethanol : ethylene glycol = 1 : 1 : 1). The prepared ink was inkjet-printed onto the flexible substrate PET. Printed patterns were reduced with intense pulsed light (IPL) without damaging the substrate PET. By adjusting the distance between the intense light and the patterns and number of pulses in a given time, patterns with low resistance and good flexibility were achieved. Upon printing 20 passes, the resistance decreased from 56.77 M Omega for the patterns before IPL treatment to 760.4 Omega for the patterns after IPL treatment. It was lowered by nearly four orders of magnitude. It was proved that IPL reduction on the GO ink could be used as an effective method for the synthesis of flexible electronics such as sensors.