Charge-Density-Wave Devices Printed with the Ink of Chemically Exfoliated 1T-TaS$_2$ Fillers

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the successful inkjet printing of charge-density-wave 1T-TaS$_2$ materials, preserving their electronic properties and enabling the development of functional printed devices based on quantum materials.

Contribution

It introduces a method for preparing and printing inks with exfoliated 1T-TaS$_2$, maintaining their charge-density-wave properties in printed thin films.

Findings

Charge-density-wave properties are preserved after printing.

Printed devices exhibit phase transition behavior.

The approach enables functional printed electronics with quantum materials.

Abstract

We report on the preparation of inks containing fillers derived from quasi-two-dimensional charge-density-wave materials, their application for inkjet printing, and the evaluation of their electronic properties in printed thin film form. The inks were prepared by liquid-phase exfoliation of CVT-grown 1T-TaS$_2$ crystals to produce fillers with nm-scale thickness and um-scale lateral dimensions. Exfoliated 1T-TaS$_2$ was dispersed in a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and ethylene glycol to allow fine-tuning of their thermo-physical properties for inkjet printing. The temperature-dependent electrical and current fluctuation measurements of printed thin films demonstrated that the charge-density-wave properties of 1T-TaS$_2$ are preserved after processing. The functionality of the printed thin-film devices can be defined by the nearly-commensurate to commensurate charge-density-wave phase transition of individual exfoliated 1T-TaS$_2$ fillers rather than by electron-hopping transport between them. These results provide pathways for the development of printed electronics with diverse functionality achieved by the incorporation of quasi-two-dimensional van der Waals quantum materials.