Printable Carbon Nanotube Sensors For Inspection

High-yield, ultrabroadband photo-thermoelectric sensors using fully printable carbon nanotube inks—opening new horizons for flexible, multifunctional inspection devices.

Researchers at Chuo University, led by Assistant Professor Kou Li, have developed a fully printable fabrication technique for producing multifunctional image sensor sheets tailored for non-destructive inspection applications. This innovation tackles a major obstacle in the field: the spatial misalignment issues that arise when photo-thermoelectric (PTE) sensor components are fabricated separately, limiting device yield and scalability.

PTE sensors are prized for their ultrabroadband photodetection capabilities, which are ideal for non-destructive testing across various environments. However, conventional fabrication methods have struggled to integrate all components into compact sensor sheets efficiently. The team’s solution leverages solution-processable inks composed of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), dopants, and conductive pastes—allowing all sensor components to be printed consecutively on a single platform using a mechanical dispenser printer.

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The process starts with the precise printing of high-concentration CNT channels, which are vital for the PTE conversion effect. Subsequent layers, including carrier dopants and wiring electrodes, are then added seamlessly, resulting in a high-yield production process free from manual alignment bottlenecks. This method ensures robust mechanical alignment and uniform device integration.

Tests demonstrated that the printed CNT channels exhibit sensitive ultrabroadband photodetection, comparable to traditional narrowband devices. Moreover, the resulting sensor sheets are versatile and adaptable to various substrates, enabling configurations such as high-resolution imagers, wearable gloves, and transparent patch scanners. These advances highlight the potential for flexible, deformable sensor sheets in practical, real-world non-destructive evaluation scenarios.Reference:Yamamoto, M., et al. (2025). Mechanically alignable and all-dispenser-printable device design platform for carbon nanotube-based soft-deformable photo-thermoelectric broadband imager sheets. npj Flexible Electronics. doi.org/10.1038/s41528-025-00419-2