A Freestanding Laser-Assisted Reduced Graphene Oxide Micro-Ribbon Textile Electrode Fabricated on Liquid Surface for Supercapacitors and Breath Sensors.

Abstract

Graphene micro-ribbons are highly desired for their high electrical conductivities and specific surface areas which contribute to multiple applications in thin, flexible, textile supercapacitors, sensors, and actuators. Herein, we demonstrate a facile method for creating reduced graphene oxide micro-ribbons (rGO-MR) with microscale architecture utilizing a simple blue-violet diode laser under ambient conditions. This method takes advantage of the photochemical reduction mechanism of self-assembled GO liquid crystals (GO-LC), allowing rGO-MR patterns to be directly printed on the solution surface. The rGO-MR films demonstrated tunable diameters and can be tailored into any geometries. A maximum intrinsic electrical conductivity for rGO-MR reaching 325.8 S/m was observed. The rGO-MR textile electrodes can be assembled into micro-supercapacitors with a high areal specific capacitance of 14.4 mF/cm2, a low charge-transfer impedance, and an exceptional cycling performance with a retained 96.8% capacitance after 10,000 cycles. The rGO-MR films also experience changes in resistance in response to the moisture adsorption from human breaths and therefore can also be employed as a breathing sensor for health monitoring. The presented facile method for creating multilayered rGO-MR films directly on liquid surfaces can further expand the potential for 3D printing graphitic materials for various multi-functional applications.