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Flexible electronics on low-temperature substrates like paper are very appealing for their use in disposable and biocompatible electronic applications and areas like healthcare, wearables, and consumer electronics. Plasma-jet printing uses a dielectric barrier discharge plasma to focus aerosolized nanoparticles onto a target substrate. The same plasma can be used to change the properties of the printed material and even sinter in situ . In this work, we demonstrate one-step deposition of gold structures onto flexible and low-temperature substrates without the need for thermal or photonic post-processing. We also explore the plasma effect on the deposition of the gold nanoparticle ink. The plasma voltage is optimized for the sintering of the gold nanoparticles, and a simple procedure for manufacturing traces with increased adhesion and conductivity is presented, with a peak conductivity of 6.2 x10 5 S/m. PJP-printed gold LED interconnects and microheaters on flexible substrates are developed to demonstrate the potential of this single-step sintered deposition of conductive traces on low-temperature substrates.
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Plasma Jet Deposition and Self-Sintering of Gold Nanoparticle Ink for Flexible Electronics
Additive manufacturing has become a promising method for the fabrication of inexpensive, green, flexible electronics. Printed electronics on low-temperature substrates like paper are very appealing for the flexible hybrid electronics market for their use in disposable and biocompatible electronic applications and in areas like packaging, wearables, and consumer electronics. Plasma-jet printing uses a dielectric barrier discharge plasma to focus aerosolized nanoparticles onto a target substrate. The same plasma can be used to change the properties of the printed material and even sinter in situ. The technology can also be utilized in space and microgravity environments since the plasma-assisted deposition is independent of gravity. In this work, we show plasma voltage effect on deposition of gold nanoparticles and direct printing of flexible, conductive gold structures onto low-temperature paper substrates without the need for thermal or photonic post-processing. The effects of plasma parameters on the conductivity and flexible reliability of the printed films are studied, and a paper-based LED electrode is demonstrated.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1825502
- PAR ID:
- 10505279
- Publisher / Repository:
- IEEE
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- 2023 International Flexible Electronics Technology Conference (IFETC)
- ISBN:
- 979-8-3503-3209-4
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 3
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- San Jose, USA, CA, USA
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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