Graphene-biopolymer-based RFID tags: A performance comparison

• Published in: Materials today communications 2022-06, Vol.31, p.103726, Article 103726
• Main Authors: Roggero, Ursula F.S., Nista, Silvia V.G., Hernández-Figueroa, Hugo E., Mei, Lucia H.I., Moshkalev, Stanislav A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antenna; Biopolymer; Graphene; Radio frequency identification (RFID) tag
• ISSN: 2352-4928; 2352-4928
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2022.103726

Flexible films fabricated using two different conductive pastes based on mixtures of graphene and biopolymers have been used to fabricate passive Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags consisting of a dipole antenna and a microchip on a paper substrate. The preparation of these composite materials, in addition to the design, manufacturing and characterization of the tags are presented. A comparison of the fabricated tags is carried out, focusing on the most relevant parameters for real applications: read range, dimensions and mechanical robustness. Read ranges from 7.2 m to 9.1 m were reached with conductivities from 1.01 × 104 S/m to 2.04 × 104 S/m, respectively. The results demonstrated that these low-cost materials can be used for mid-range applications, constituting a low-cost and environmentally friendly alternative unlike commercial metal-based tags. [Display omitted] •RFID tags can be manufactured with materials based on graphene and biopolymers.•Improving the conductivity using compression technique has relevant constraints.•Expanded graphite powder instead of few layers graphene results in low-cost devices.•Testing in controlled and out-lab environments ensures good yield in real-world use.