PhD work Laura Hazendonk awarded cum laude
Research on printed stretchable graphene conductors for wearables, soft robotics and paper-based electronics
On Thursday October 2nd Dr. Laura Hazendonk has been awarded cum laude during her PhD defense. Laura鈥檚 thesis was described as remarkably clear and a well-written account of her highly original, challenging and extremely successful PhD work. There is great depth and breadth in her thesis, addressing the entire chain of knowledge from fundamentals of graphene suspensions to applications of graphene inks in printed electronics. And it provides exceptional new insights into the fundamental and applied physical properties of nanoplatelet suspensions.
Printed electronics are emerging as versatile, more sustainable solutions for a myriad of devices that make our lives easier, from sports shirts with integrated heartrate sensors to surgical robots and biodegradable public transport tickets. Graphene, a carbon-based material related to the graphite found in pencils, is an outstanding component for such devices thanks to its high conductivity, biocompatibility, abundance and durability. In her PhD research, Laura van Hazendonk developed graphene-based inks for (3D) printing of stretchable conductors with applications in wearable technology, soft robotics and agriculture.
Printing of conductors offers a more sustainable, flexible, and cost-effective alternative to traditional manufacturing techniques, as material is deposited only where needed, reducing waste. It also enables scalable production of flexible electronics that can bend or stretch without losing performance. This facilitates the manufacturing of wearable electronics, with great application potential for medical monitoring and sports. Presently, the conductive components of printed electronics are often composed of metals, such as silver and gold (scarce and expensive) or copper (toxic to the environment and sensitive to oxidation). Graphene provides an environmentally inert, mechanically strong, abundant, and highly conductive alternative. However, before this work, graphene-based inks suitable for (3D) printing of highly stretchable, durable, and skin-friendly conductive components were not available.
In her PhD research, Van Hazendonk developed such an ink and used it for realizing a soft robotic gripper with four fingers, suitable for potential use in surgical procedures. Together with her colleagues from 黑料福利网 and the Graphene Flagship consortium, she also demonstrated the potential of the ink and conductors printed from it for a wearable respiratory sensor, secure paper-based tickets with an anti-counterfeit feature and spray-coated electrodes for plant growth stimulation. Furthermore, she studied the ink鈥檚 fundamental physical-chemical properties to further enhance performance and enable higher resolution printing.
According to her promotors, Laura van Hazendonk is a highly talented scientist with excellent skills and precision, combined with a critical, uncompromising attitude. She is not only a high level experimentalist but can also easily interact with theoreticians and scientists with different expertise. These qualities have been instrumental in various successful collaborations.
Laura was also interviewed by about her journey to her PhD.