Using Laser in the Fabrication of Graphene for Gas Sensing: A Digital Twin Approach

Laser-induced graphene (LIG) is a novel 3D porous material formed by laser treatment of specific carbon substrates, boasting remarkable properties including high porosity, electrical conductivity, and mechanical flexibility.Understanding the relationship between laser parameters and resulting LIG characteristics is fundamental, and often investigated through computational methods.Leveraging its unique attributes, LIG finds application in sensors, particularly gas sensing, owing to its characteristics and facile fabrication process.This study employs a digital twin to predict LIG characteristics and explore their correlation with nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gas sensing efficacy.LIG sensors with various morphologies (woolly fibers, porous formation, cellular network) and electrical resistances were fabricated and assessed for response and recovery to NO2 exposure.Results demonstrate morphologydependent performance, with woolly fibers morphology showing optimal response and recovery at low resistance values.Conversely, porous formations and cellular networks exhibit superior response at high resistance values but complete recovery at lower values.These findings underscore the critical role of laser parameter optimization in tailoring LIG for enhanced gas sensing capabilities.