Polyphenols as a Nanotechnology Source for a Laser-Based Chemistry Educational Activity

Applying carbon for patterning electrically conductive lines typically requires a human-intensive laboratory procedure for carbon synthesis, washing away the residue, dispersion into a solvent, and deposition of carbon on a substrate through airbrushing or painting. To simplify engineering chemistry and promote interest among school students in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM), we report a novel activity module that allows us to demonstrate a facile approach for the production of nanocarbon patterns or art that is electrically conductive and possesses a carbon to oxygen ratio (C/O) of 3.5. Interestingly, this carbon printing technique can be accomplished using a commercial hobbyist laser engraver (∼89.07 USD) at ambient temperature on glass without the additional presence of fire-retardant materials. In this work, polyphenol extracts from black tea (Camellia sinensis) were used as a carbon source. The introduction of students to morphological study, composition analysis, and evaluation of electrical properties of nanocarbon would greatly improve the students’ understanding of industrial nanotechnology and how a sustainable source can be used as a carbon precursor for electronics.