Inkjet printing of functional materials: a step forward to green electronics

Nowadays the environmental impact of both used materials and manufacturing process of thin films is a major issue. The usage, storage, disposal protocol and the volume of waste material are also an environmental concern using conventional manufacturing pathway. The current technology to fabricate thin films requires heat generation in a deposition process and hence generation of harmful chemicals/radiation. Additionally, there are environmental limitations, for example, high vacuum equipment requires enormous amounts of electricity, thus creating a larger carbon footprint. Inkjet printing technology is a reliable alternative to traditional manufacturing protocol and most importantly, it is a solution to minimise the deleterious effects on the environment and human health. Here, we explore the potential of Additive Layer Manufacturing – inkjet printing technology to provide an innovative manufacturing pathway for functional materials, both conductive and insulating patterns, on flexible bendable substrates. In this work, ink-jettable materials were printed by a piezoelectric Epson Stylus P50 inkjet printing machine on a flexible substrate. The morphology, surface profile and the thickness uniformity of printed multi-layers were evaluated via Nikon LABOPHOT-2 optical microscope, fitted with Nikon Camera DS-Fi1. Furthermore, the conductivity and its dependency on the number of layers is investigated in this study. Even more, adhesion profile of the ink to the substrate and mechanical flexibility is also studied