ELECTRONICS may be printed on flexible paper, plastic or fabric substrates with a new reactive silver ink from University of Illinois materials scientists.
Jennifer Lewis, the Hans Thurnauer Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and graduate student S. Brett Walker described the new ink in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Printable electronics could lead to better antennas, batteries, sensors, solar energy, wearable devices, etc. To date, most conductive inks used to print electronics suspend tiny metal particles in a solution.
The new ink from the University of Illinois is a transparent solution of silver acetate and ammonia. The silver remains dissolved in the solution until it is printed, and the liquid evaporates quickly to leave a conductive trace.
According to the researchers, the reactive ink is faster to make and remains stable as an ink for several weeks.
With no particles to get in the way, the new silver ink can be printed through 100nm nozzles, allowing use in microelectronics. The ink also has low viscosity so it can be used for inkjet printing, direct ink writing or airbrush spraying over large areas.
Additionally, the annealing process required to ensure bulk conductivity only requires 90 degrees Celsius for the reactive ink. Many other types of metallic inks need to be heated at temperatures far above this, which makes them unsuited for inexpensive plastics or paper.
Reactive silver ink for printing flexible electronics
TAG:Flexible Electronics research and development
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