Engineering chemically exfoliated dispersions of two-dimensional graphite and molybdenum disulphide for ink-jet printing.

Stable ink dispersions of two-dimensional-layered-materials (2DLMs) MoS ₂ and graphite are successfully obtained in organic solvents exhibiting a wide range of polarities and surface energies. The role of sonication time, ink viscosity and surface tension is explored in the context of dispersion stability using these solvents, which include N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), N,N-Dimethylacetamide (DMA), dimethylformamide (DMF), Cyclohexanone (C), as well as less-toxic and more environmentally friendly Isopropanol (IPA) and Terpineol (T). The ink viscosity is engineered through the addition of Ethyl-Cellulose (EC) which has been shown to optimize the jettability of the dispersions. In contrast to prior work, the addition of EC after sonication-instead of prior to it-is noted to be effective in generating a high-density dispersion, yielding a uniform film morphology. High-quality inks are obtained using C/T and NMP as solvents for MoS ₂ and graphite, respectively, as gauged through optical absorption spectroscopy. Electronic transport data on the solution-cast inks is gathered at room temperature. Arrays of 2D graphite-rod based inks are printed on rigid Si, as well as flexible and transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates. The results clearly show the promise of ink-jet printing for casting 2DLMs into hierarchically assembled structures over a range of substrates for flexible and printed-electronics applications.