Laser-induced forward transfer of hybrid carbon nanostructures

Chemically functionalized carbon nanowalls (CNWs) are promising materials for a wide range of applications, i.e. gas sensors, membranes for fuel cells, or as supports for catalysts. However, the difficulty of manipulation of these materials hinders their integration into devices. In this manuscript a procedure for rapid prototyping of CNWs and functionalized CNWs (i.e. decorated with SnO2 nanoparticles) is described. This procedure enables the use of laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) as a powerful technique for printing CNWs and CNW:SnO2 pixels onto rigid and flexible substrates. A morphological study shows that for a large range of laser fluences i.e. 500-700 mJ/cm2 it is possible to transfer thick (4 μm) CNW and CNW:SnO2 pixels. Micro-Raman investigation of the transferred pixels reveals that the chemical composition of the CNWs and functionalized CNWs does not change as a result of the laser transfer. Following these results one can envision that CNWs and CNW:SnO2 pixels obtained by LIFT can be ultimately applied in technological applications.