In Tandem Contact-Transfer Printing for High-Performance Transient Electronics

High-performance flexible electronics developed with resource efficient printing route will transform the way future electronics is manufactured and used to advance applications such as healthcare, Internet of Things, wearables, consumer electronics, etc. Herein, an innovative approach is presented that involves, for the first time, the in-tandem use of contact and transfer printing methods to realize high-quality electronic layers at selected locations on rigid (Si/SiO2), flexible (polyimide), and biodegradable (magnesium (Mg) foils). Superior grade quality of printed electronic layers is demonstrated by realizing transistors and printed UV photodetectors (PDs) employing high-resolution electrohydrodynamic printing. The all-printed PDs show extremely high performance for UV detection, with extraordinary high responsivity (>10(7) A W-1) and specific detectivity (approximate to 10(17) Jones) values at low UV intensity of 0.1 mu W cm(-2). Finally, the fabricated PDs on Mg foil are dissolved in deionized water at room temperature. Thus, in-tandem contact and transfer printing has potential for ecofriendly development of transient electronics. Further, the approach allows printing of wide range of nanomaterials and heterostructures or complex superlattice structures, which can open exciting new possibilities for high-performance electronics.