Amorphous carbon material of daily carbon ink: emerging applications in pressure, strain, and humidity sensors

Abstract

Carbon-based materials have been widely used in various sensors. In addition to the widely reported graphene, carbon nanotubes and their composites, low-cost amorphous carbon materials are also sought after. In the different amorphous carbon materials, daily carbon ink (DCI) containing carbon black nanoparticles has a long history in writing. Interestingly, researchers found that DCI has promising applications in various sensors (pressure, strain, and humidity sensors) due to its many unique characteristics and advantages, such as conductive, good dispersion, strong adhesion, black, and low cost. In this review, the state-of-the-art advances in the amorphous material of DCI for pressure, strain, and humidity sensors are presented and discussed. Initially, combined with the characterization results, the physical and chemical properties of DCI are introduced in detail. Then, the research progresses of DCI in the field of pressure, strain, and humidity sensors are systematically reviewed and analyzed. In addition, the applications of DCI in temperature sensors and actuators closely related to sensors are discussed. Finally, the perspectives are illustrated in this field. We hope that this comprehensive review will provide new insights for the applications of DCI in various sensors and other electronic devices.