New printing technique could democratize printed electronics

Apr 8, 2023 (Nanowerk SpotlightIn collaboration with UNLV, UAM and KSU researchers, the Materials Science Institute of Madrid (part of Spain’s National Research Council) has created a simple and inexpensive method to print electronics using regular pens. This method allows you to use virtually any solution-processable, nanomaterial ink without needing expensive equipment or ink optimization. This makes printed electronics more accessible for researchers. The research has been published in Advanced Engineering Materials “Pen Plotter is a low-cost platform for rapid device prototyping using solution-processable nanomaterials” Picture of the bench-top plotter plotting a circuit on paper using graphite loaded ink. The image also contains other writing tools using different nanomaterials based inks. Copyright is owned by the scientists who wrote the article. (Image courtesy the researchers Castellanos Gomez said that this technique will increase the impact on research groups who are skilled in creating solution-processable, nanomaterials, but lack the resources or background to print devices. These research groups can test their inks, prototype devices, and sensors with this easy route. The new developments in solution-processable semiconductors have allowed for the use of ink printing lithographic methods to produce electronic devices with higher efficiency and lower costs. These techniques are compatible with a number of material families including nanotubes (nanowires), quantum dots, van de Waals materials, hybrids perovskites and nanowires. According to the researchers, the technique can be extended and many other nanomaterial-based inks could be used. The researchers demonstrated the potential of this method by printing a range of solution-processable inks including van der Waals material, quantum dots, hybrid-inorganic and organic perovskites and organic semiconductors. Some applications of the system were demonstrated by them, such as printing invisible QR codes using MoO3A material that is opaque under UV light or a photodetector using a paper-based PEDOT organic semiconductor channel and graphite electrodes. The technique is great for printing on paper or textiles that are wettable, but you will need to use more viscous inks or faster evaporation solvents to print on glass or plastic. However, the benchtop plotter that was used in this study cost less than 200 euro, which is about half the price of a traditional material printer, which can be up to 60,000 Euros. Castellanos Gomez stated that “by using pens with a plotter, I have eliminated the need to use expensive equipment and ink optimizing, making printed electronics more affordable for researchers.” We believe that this technique can be used to make printed electronics more accessible, which will allow for greater adoption and innovation in this exciting field. By

Michael
Berger
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The Royal Society of Chemistry has published three books about Michael.
Nano-Society: Pushing Technology’s Boundaries,
Nanotechnology: The Future Is Tiny
Nanoengineering: The Skills & Tools That Make Technology Invisible
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