Aerosol
Jet Printed p- and n‑type Electrolyte-Gated
Transistors with a Variety of Electrode Materials: Exploring Practical
Routes to Printed Electronics
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Abstract
Printing electrically functional
liquid inks is a promising approach
for achieving low-cost, large-area, additive manufacturing of flexible
electronic circuits. To print thin-film transistors, a basic building
block of thin-film electronics, it is important to have several options
for printable electrode materials that exhibit high conductivity,
high stability, and low-cost. Here we report completely aerosol jet
printed (AJP) p- and n-type electrolyte-gated transistors (EGTs) using
a variety of different electrode materials including highly conductive
metal nanoparticles (Ag), conducting polymers (polystyrenesulfonate
doped poly(3,4-ethylendedioxythiophene, PEDOT:PSS), transparent conducting
oxides (indium tin oxide), and carbon-based materials (reduced graphene
oxide). Using these source-drain electrode materials and a PEDOT:PSS/ion
gel gate stack, we demonstrated all-printed p- and n-type EGTs in
combination with poly(3-hexythiophene) and ZnO semiconductors. All
transistor components (including electrodes, semiconductors, and gate
insulators) were printed by AJP. Both kinds of devices showed typical
p- and n-type transistor characteristics, and exhibited both low-threshold
voltages (<2 V) and high hole and electron mobilities. Our assessment
suggests Ag electrodes may be the best option in terms of overall
performance for both types of EGTs