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Facile synthesis of laser-induced graphene oxide and its humidity sensing properties

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Abstract

In this study, laser-induced graphene oxide (LIGO) was synthesized through a facile liquid-based process involving the introduction of deionized (DI) water onto polyimide (PI) film and subsequent direct laser irradiation using a CO2 laser (λ = 10.6 μm). The synthesized LIGO was then evaluated as a sensing material for monitoring changes in humidity levels. The synthesis conditions were optimized by precisely controlling the laser scribing speed, leading to the synthesis of LIGO with different structural characteristics and varying oxygen contents. The increased number of oxygen-containing functional groups contributed to the hydrophilic properties of LIGO, resulting in a superior humidity sensing capabilities compared with laser-induced graphene (LIG). The LIGO-based sensors outperformed LIG-based sensors, demonstrating approximately tenfold higher sensing responsivity when detecting changes at each humidity level, along with 1.25 to 1.75 times faster response/recovery times, making LIGO-based sensors more promising for humidity-monitoring applications. This study demonstrated laser ablation in a renewable and natural precursor as an eco-friendly and energy-efficient approach to directly synthesize LIGO with controllable oxidation levels.

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All relevant data are available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Abbreviations

GO:

Graphene oxide

LIG:

Laser-induced graphene

LIGO:

Laser-induced graphene oxide

PI:

Polyimide

sccm:

Standard cubic centimeter per minute

RH:

Relative humidity

FLG:

Few-layered graphene

rGO:

Reduced graphene oxide

LS:

Lignosulfonate

PAA:

Polyacrylic acid

PDDA:

Poly(diallylimethyammonium chloride)

PEI:

Polyethyleneimine (PEI)

Nps:

Nanoparticles

ID :

Intensity of the D peak

IG :

Intensity of the G peak

\(\Delta {\varvec{R}}\) :

Difference between the baseline electrical resistance and the real-time electrical resistance

\({{\varvec{R}}}_{0}\) :

Baseline electrical resistance, measured at 10% humidity levels before the introduction of the target humidity

\({{\varvec{R}}}_{{\varvec{h}}}\) :

Real-time electrical resistance, measured after the introduction of target humidity

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (Grant no. 2022R1A4A1034312, 2022R1F1A1072339 and 2022M3H4A4086049).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea

    Jin Woo An, Hee Ra Lee & Seoung-Ki Lee

  2. Functional Composite Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Wanju, Jeonbuk, 55324, Republic of Korea

    Seok-Ki Hyeong, Kang Min Kim & Sukang Bae

  3. R & D Center of JB Lab Corporation, Seoul, 08788, Republic of Korea

    Ji-won Park

  4. Department of Flexible and Printable Electronics, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk, 54896, Republic of Korea

    Tae-Wook Kim

  5. Department of JBNU, KIST Industry-Academia Convergence Research, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk, 54896, Republic of Korea

    Tae-Wook Kim & Sukang Bae

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An, J.W., Hyeong, SK., Kim, K.M. et al. Facile synthesis of laser-induced graphene oxide and its humidity sensing properties. Carbon Lett. 34, 1173–1185 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42823-023-00672-3

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