Laser Induced Graphene Flexible Electronics 2026 — PatSnap Eureka
Laser Induced Graphene Flexible Electronics 2026
Laser-induced graphene converts carbon-rich precursors directly into porous graphene through focused laser irradiation — no masks, no chemicals. Since its 2014 debut, LIG has matured into a platform spanning sensors, supercapacitors, wearables, and photovoltaics.
LIG: Mask-Free Graphene for Flexible Electronic Devices
Laser-induced graphene (LIG) encompasses two primary synthesis strategies in this dataset: direct laser scribing of polymer precursors — particularly polyimide — to produce porous turbostratic graphene via photothermal carbonization, and laser reduction of graphene oxide coatings on flexible substrates. Both approaches operate in a single step under ambient conditions, requiring no vacuum equipment or chemical etchants.
The foundational mechanism was established by the Tour Group at William Marsh Rice University, whose patent family filed from 2015 across WO, US, EP, CA, IL, and SG jurisdictions covers LIG from polyimide for hybrid electronic devices including microsupercapacitors. CO₂ lasers at 10.6 µm remain the dominant scribing tool, while picosecond 1064 nm lasers under nitrogen atmosphere have achieved sheet resistances as low as 5 Ω/sq.
The substrate landscape has expanded well beyond polyimide to include textiles, wood, cellulose/lignin inks, Kevlar fabric, and wax-modified composites. KAIST’s 2024 patents on wood-based LIG devices and textile e-fabrics exemplify this shift, enabling integration into wearable healthcare and military applications as well as sustainable electronics built on biomass and renewable carbon substrates.
In this dataset, 14 distinct patent records and approximately 25 literature sources spanning 2014–2025 were identified across US, WO, EP, CN, CA, IL, SG, IN, and KR jurisdictions. The top assignee by filing count in this dataset is William Marsh Rice University with 6 records, followed by BITS Pilani with 3 records in retrieved records, reflecting a landscape concentrated in academic institutions rather than large industrial corporations.
Filing Trends and Technology Cluster Distribution
Analysis of the LIG dataset reveals a clear maturation arc from foundational US academic filings (2015–2017) through a development phase to a 2022–2025 diversification surge driven by Indian and South Korean institutions. Four primary technology clusters account for all identified patent records in this dataset.
LIG Patent Records by Technology Cluster — Dataset Snapshot
In this dataset, the polymer precursor scribing cluster accounts for the largest share of records, followed by hybrid nanocomposites and alternative substrates, reflecting the field’s diversification beyond core polyimide LIG.
↗ Click bars to exploreLIG Patent Filings by Phase and Geography — Dataset Snapshot
In this dataset, the 2022–2025 diversification phase shows the highest concentration of new filings, with India and South Korea accounting for the majority of new entries in retrieved records during this period.
↗ Click bars to exploreLIG Application Domains Across Sensors, Energy, and RF
The LIG dataset spans six distinct application domains, with wearable sensing and electrochemical detection as the largest clusters, followed by energy storage, antenna/RF, structural electronics, and photovoltaics. Each domain is anchored by specific patent or literature records in this dataset.
Wearable and Body-Worn Sensing
The 2022 review catalogs LIG strain gauges, EMG electrodes, and respiratory monitors fabricated on skin-conforming substrates. The 2019 multifunctional sensor paper demonstrates combined capacitive, electrochemical, and strain sensing from a single interdigitated LIG pattern on Kapton tape. KAIST’s e-textile patent (US, 2024) targets healthcare, sports, firefighting, and military wearable applications.
Flexible SensingElectrochemical Sensing and Biosensors
The 2014 laser-scribed graphene paper established LIG as a disposable electrode platform for electrochemical sensing. Iowa State University’s US patent (2021) extends this to food safety and agricultural analyte detection using functionalized LIG electrode architecture with modular surface chemistry. The 2019 ZnO-decorated LIG study demonstrates composite electrode architectures for enhanced electrochemical performance.
BiosensingEnergy Storage Supercapacitors
William Marsh Rice University’s core patent family explicitly covers LIG as microsupercapacitor electrode material with pseudocapacitive material integration. BITS Pilani’s MnO₂-decorated LIG patent (IN, 2024) targets supercapacitors via hydrothermal MnO₂ deposition. The UPES LIG-MXene composite patent (IN, 2025) incorporates Ti₃C₂-derived MXene within LIG matrix for energy storage applications.
Energy StorageAntenna, RF, and Photovoltaics
A 2023 literature study demonstrates a 2.45 GHz patch antenna fabricated from LIG on polyimide using a picosecond 1064 nm laser, establishing LIG in high-frequency flexible electronics. BITS Pilani’s IN patent (2025) identifies LIG electrodes as a lower-cost alternative to ITO in heterojunction solar cells, citing LIG conductivity across visible and near-infrared ranges for photovoltaic applications.
RF & Energy ConversionKey Patent Assignees in Laser-Induced Graphene (Retrieved Records)
In this dataset, William Marsh Rice University holds the largest filing footprint with 6 records across 6 jurisdictions (WO, US, EP, CA, IL, SG), establishing the foundational LIG platform IP. Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani follows with 3 active or pending IN patents filed in 2024–2025 in retrieved records, representing the fastest-growing institutional presence in recent LIG filings.
Top LIG Patent Assignees by Filing Count in Retrieved Records (Dataset Snapshot)
↗ Click bars to exploreWilliam Marsh Rice University
Rice University holds 6 patent records in this dataset spanning WO, US, EP, CA, IL, and SG jurisdictions, filed between 2016 and 2019. Its core patent family covers LIG formation from polyimide via photothermal carbonization and hybrid pseudocapacitive microsupercapacitor embodiments incorporating conducting polymers and metal oxides. The US patent (2019) is active; the EP and CA entries are part of the same PCT family filed from 2015.
United StatesBirla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani
BITS Pilani holds 3 patent records in this dataset, all filed in India in 2024–2025, making it the most active recent filer in retrieved records. Its portfolio covers metal-LIG nanocomposites (Au/Ag doped PI resin, blue diode laser, IN 2024 active), MnO₂-decorated LIG electrodes for supercapacitors (IN 2024), and LIG electrodes for heterojunction photovoltaic cells as a lower-cost ITO alternative (IN 2025). Patents span active and pending status.
India — INFrontier Vectors in LIG Technology (2022–2025)
Filings and publications from 2022–2025 identify six emerging vectors in LIG development: non-polymer substrates, LIG-2D material hybrids, in-situ metal nanocomposites, scalable transfer processes, renewable energy device integration, and laser parameter optimization for near-metal conductivity.
LIG on Wood, Textiles, and Renewable Substrates
KAIST’s 2024 US patents on wood-based LIG devices and textile-based e-fabrics signal that the field is moving beyond polyimide toward abundant, renewable, and body-conformable substrates. The femtosecond laser capability demonstrated in the wood patent enables precision graphene writing on rough, fibrous surfaces previously inaccessible to CO₂ scribing. The 2020 forest-based ink study by Swedish researchers achieved 3.8 Ω/sq sheet resistance using screen-printed cellulose/lignin inks followed by laser graphitization.
LIG-MXene Hybrids and In-Situ Metal Nanocomposites
The 2025 UPES patent on LIG-MXene nanocomposites (IN) represents the first patent-level claim on combining LIG with Ti₃C₂ MXene — a high-capacitance 2D material — targeting supercapacitor and electromagnetic shielding applications. BITS Pilani’s 2024 active patent on metal-LIG fabrication incorporates Au/Ag metal salts into liquid PI resin prior to blue diode laser irradiation, enabling single-step production of graphene-noble metal composites for catalysis, biosensing, and photovoltaics.
Direct LIG vs. Laser-Reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO): Key Dimensions
Click any row to explore further.
| Dimension | Direct LIG (Polymer Carbonization) | Laser-Reduced GO (rGO Route) |
|---|---|---|
| Precursor Material | Polyimide, wood, textiles, cellulose/lignin inks, Kevlar | Graphene oxide solution or film deposited on flexible substrate |
| Conversion Mechanism | Photothermal carbonization: sp³ carbon → porous turbostratic graphene foam | Laser reduction: GO → rGO restoring π-conjugation and conductivity |
| Compatible Laser Types | CO₂ (10.6 µm), picosecond 1064 nm, femtosecond, UV/visible diode | Laser irradiation selective on deposited GO film; supports transparent electrode patterning |
| Reported Sheet Resistance | As low as 5 Ω/sq (1064 nm picosecond, N₂ atmosphere); 3.8 Ω/sq (forest-based ink, 2020) | Conductivity restored but typically higher sheet resistance than direct LIG on PI |
| Graphene Structure | Porous, 3D turbostratic graphene foam; high surface area for sensing and energy storage | Thin-film reduced GO; suited to transparent electrode and optoelectronic applications |
| Primary Application Areas | Wearable sensors, microsupercapacitors, antennas, structural electronics, photovoltaics | Transparent electrodes, electronic skin, optoelectronic devices |
| Process Conditions | Ambient or inert atmosphere (N₂); no vacuum or chemical etchants required | Ambient conditions; solution-phase GO deposition step required before laser processing |
| Patent Coverage in Dataset | Dominant in dataset; Rice University family (6 records), KAIST, BITS Pilani, Iowa State active | Parallel route noted in 2019 review literature; fewer dedicated patent records in this dataset |
Frequently Asked Questions: Laser Induced Graphene Flexible Electronics
LIG is a mask-free, chemical-free fabrication technology that converts carbon-rich precursor materials directly into porous, conductive graphene structures through focused laser irradiation. The technology was first reported in 2014, with the earliest dataset signal being a 2014 literature report on laser-scribed graphene electrodes for disposable electrochemical sensors and a 2014 femtosecond laser direct writing study achieving 800 nm feature widths and 205 Ω/sq sheet resistance on insulating substrates.
William Marsh Rice University (Tour Group) holds the foundational LIG patent family. It was filed via PCT (WO) and national phase entries across US, EP, CA, IL, and SG jurisdictions between 2016 and 2017, establishing proprietary coverage over the core polymer-to-graphene photothermal conversion and hybrid pseudocapacitor embodiments. In this dataset, Rice University holds 6 patent records — the highest count of any assignee.
The dataset identifies multiple alternative substrate classes: textiles (KAIST e-textile patent, US 2024), wood (KAIST femtosecond laser on wood, US 2024), cellulose/lignin inks (Swedish forest-based ink study, 2020, achieving 3.8 Ω/sq), Kevlar fabric, and wax-modified composites. Each substrate class requires adapted laser parameters; femtosecond lasers enable LIG on rough fibrous surfaces previously inaccessible to CO₂ scribing.
Six application domains are identified in this dataset: (1) wearable and body-worn sensing including strain gauges, EMG electrodes, and respiratory monitors; (2) electrochemical sensing and biosensors including disposable electrode platforms and food safety detection; (3) energy storage via LIG microsupercapacitors and LIG-MXene composites; (4) antenna and RF communications including a 2.45 GHz patch antenna on PI; (5) structural and environmental electronics on wood and biomass; and (6) photovoltaics via LIG as an ITO alternative in heterojunction solar cells.
India is the fastest-growing jurisdiction in recent filings (2024–2025) in this dataset, with 4 active or pending patents from three institutions: BITS Pilani (3 patents), University of Petroleum and Energy Studies Dehradun (1 patent), and Manipal Academy of Higher Education (1 patent). South Korea (KAIST) holds 2 US-filed patents from 2024. The United States remains the largest overall jurisdiction driven by Rice University’s foundational portfolio and subsequent US institutional entries.
The lowest sheet resistance reported in this dataset is 5 Ω/sq, achieved using 1064 nm picosecond laser irradiation under nitrogen atmosphere, as described in a 2023 comparative study of UV to mid-infrared laser wavelengths on polyimide. The 2020 forest-based ink study (Swedish researchers) achieved 3.8 Ω/sq using screen-printed cellulose/lignin ink followed by laser graphitization, representing the lowest value reported for a sustainable substrate approach in the dataset.
Data and insights on this page are based on a limited patent and literature dataset and are for reference only. Figures may not represent the complete technology landscape.