title: Water-based and biocompatible 2D crystal inks for all-inkjet-printed heterostructures.
abstract: Exploiting the properties of two-dimensional crystals requires a mass production method able to produce heterostructures of arbitrary complexity on any substrate. Solution processing of graphene allows simple and low-cost techniques such as inkjet printing to be used for device fabrication. However, the available printable formulations are still far from ideal as they are either based on toxic solvents, have low concentration, or require time-consuming and expensive processing. In addition, none is suitable for thin-film heterostructure fabrication due to the re-mixing of different two-dimensional crystals leading to uncontrolled interfaces and poor device performance. Here, we show a general approach to achieve inkjet-printable, water-based, two-dimensional crystal formulations, which also provide optimal film formation for multi-stack fabrication. We show examples of all-inkjet-printed heterostructures, such as large-area arrays of photosensors on plastic and paper and programmable logic memory devices. Finally, in vitro dose-escalation cytotoxicity assays confirm the biocompatibility of the inks, extending their possible use to biomedical applications.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: Daryl
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8494-0870
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McManus
authors.affiliation: Nanomedicine Lab, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, AV Hill Building, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vranic
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: Freddie
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2638-0315
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Withers
authors.affiliation: Manchester Enterprise Centre, Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9SS, UK.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Romaguera
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Macucci
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: Huafeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sorrentino
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Parvez
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: Seok-Kyun
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Son
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3375-1647
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Iannaccone
authors.affiliation: Nanomedicine Lab, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, AV Hill Building, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kostarelos
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fiori
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casiraghi
mesh_terms: D000072283:A549 Cells; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007281:Ink; D008422:Materials Testing; D011327:Printing
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials