Graphene-On-Polymer Flexible Vaporizable Sensor

This paper reports a graphene-on-polymer vaporizable and flexible piezoresistive sensor platform. This sensor technology can be used for wearable microsystems and disposable environmental sensors. The piezoresistive pressure sensor reported here achieves a high sensitivity of 68 ×10 ^-3 kPa ^-1 with monolayer graphene piezoresistors. The sensor is made on a 1.8 μm spin-coated polypropylene carbonate (PPC) structural layer which vaporizes at 220 ⁰ C. We demonstrate that the sensor can be partially vaporized with 22 mW electrical heating power. Here we have shown the use of graphene in a flexible sensor system, which paves the way for a highly compliant and flexible 2D materials-based sensor platform with high sensitivity and mechanical compliance. The vaporability of the devices demonstrates the potential for eliminating electronic waste by vaporization in the field from where the sensors cannot be retrieved. This ability to evaporate the sensor material on-demand also opens up the ability to tune sensor parameters by reducing sensor membrane mass by partial or complete evaporation and stress tuning.