Localized Laser Sintering of Metal Nanoparticle Inks Printed with Aerosol Jet® Technology for Flexible Electronics

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 132-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Renn ◽  
Matthew Schrandt ◽  
Jaxon Renn ◽  
James Q. Feng
Keyword(s):  
Metal Nanoparticles ◽  
Flexible Electronics ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Damage Threshold ◽  
Laser Sintering ◽  
Heating Time ◽  
Metal Nanoparticle ◽  
Polymer Materials ◽  
Nanoparticle Inks ◽  
Short Heating Time

Direct-write methods, such as the Aerosol Jet® technology, have enabled fabrication of flexible multifunctional 3-D devices by printing electronic circuits on thermoplastic and thermoset polymer materials. Conductive traces printed by additive manufacturing typically start in the form of liquid metal nanoparticle inks. To produce functional circuits, the printed metal nanoparticle ink material must be postprocessed to form conductive metal by sintering at elevated temperature. Metal nanoparticles are widely used in conductive inks because they can be sintered at relatively low temperatures compared with the melting temperature of bulk metal. This is desirable for fabricating circuits on low-cost plastic substrates. To minimize thermal damage to the plastics, while effectively sintering the metal nanoparticle inks, we describe a laser sintering process that generates a localized heat-affected zone (HAZ) when scanning over a printed feature. For sintering metal nanoparticles that are reactive to oxygen, an inert or reducing gas shroud is applied around the laser spot to shield the HAZ from ambient oxygen. With the shroud gas-shielded laser, oxygen-sensitive nanoparticles, such as those made of copper and nickel, can be successfully sintered in open air. With very short heating time and small HAZ, the localized peak sintering temperature can be substantially higher than that of damage threshold for the underlying substrate, for effective metallization of nanoparticle inks. Here, we demonstrate capabilities for producing conductive tracks of silver, copper, and copper–nickel alloys on flexible films as well as fabricating functional thermocouples and strain gauge sensors, with printed metal nanoparticle inks sintered by shroud-gas-shielded laser.

Laser Sintering of Liquid Metal Nanoparticles for Scalable Manufacturing of Soft and Flexible Electronics

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (33) ◽  
pp. 28232-28241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanliangzi Liu ◽  
Michelle C. Yuen ◽  
Edward L. White ◽  
J. William Boley ◽  
Biwei Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Metal ◽  
Metal Nanoparticles ◽  
Flexible Electronics ◽  
Laser Sintering

Large Area Flexible Electronics Fabrication by Selective Laser Sintering of Nanoparticles with a Scanning Mirror

2009 ◽  
Vol 1196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung Hwan Ko ◽  
Heng Pan ◽  
Nico Hotz ◽  
Costas P. Grigoropoulos
Keyword(s):  
Flexible Electronics ◽  
Continuous Wave ◽  
Laser Energy ◽  
Selective Laser Sintering ◽  
Laser Sintering ◽  
Plasmon Mode ◽  
Metal Nanoparticle ◽  
Polymer Substrate ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Scanning Mirror

AbstractThe development of electric circuit fabrication on heat and chemically sensitive polymer substrates has attracted significant interest as a pathway to low-cost or large-area electronics. We demonstrated the large area, direct patterning of microelectronic structures by selective laser sintering of nanoparticles without using any conventional, very expensive vacuum or photoresist deposition steps. Surface monolayer protected gold nanoparticles suspended in organic solvent was spin coated on a glass or polymer substrate. Then low power continuous wave Ar-ion laser was irradiated as a local heat source to induce selective laser sintering of nanoparticles by a scanning mirror system. Metal nanoparticle possessed low melting temperature (<150°C) due to thermodynamic size effect, and high laser absorption due to surface plasmon mode. These make metal nanoparticles ideal for the low temperature, low laser energy selective laser processing, and further applicable for electronics fabrication on a heat sensitive polymer substrate. We extended our laser selective sintering of nanoparticles research to a large area (> 4” wafer) using scanning mirror to demonstrate current technology for industry level fabrication.

Fabrication of 3D Temperature Sensor Using Magnetostrictive Inkjet Printhead

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 50405-1-50405-5
Author(s):  
Young-Woo Park ◽  
Myounggyu Noh
Keyword(s):  
Flexible Electronics ◽  
Inkjet Printing ◽  
Temperature Sensor ◽  
Computer Aided Design ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Drop On Demand ◽  
Aided Design ◽  
Nanoparticle Ink ◽  
Inkjet Printhead

Abstract Recently, the three-dimensional (3D) printing technique has attracted much attention for creating objects of arbitrary shape and manufacturing. For the first time, in this work, we present the fabrication of an inkjet printed low-cost 3D temperature sensor on a 3D-shaped thermoplastic substrate suitable for packaging, flexible electronics, and other printed applications. The design, fabrication, and testing of a 3D printed temperature sensor are presented. The sensor pattern is designed using a computer-aided design program and fabricated by drop-on-demand inkjet printing using a magnetostrictive inkjet printhead at room temperature. The sensor pattern is printed using commercially available conductive silver nanoparticle ink. A moving speed of 90 mm/min is chosen to print the sensor pattern. The inkjet printed temperature sensor is demonstrated, and it is characterized by good electrical properties, exhibiting good sensitivity and linearity. The results indicate that 3D inkjet printing technology may have great potential for applications in sensor fabrication.

scholarly journals Study on Ultra-High Temperature Contact Solution Treatment of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu Alloys

Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 842
Author(s):  
Wenming Jin ◽  
Jianhao Yu ◽  
Zhiqiang Zhang ◽  
Hongjie Jia ◽  
Mingwen Ren
Keyword(s):  
Heating Temperature ◽  
Solution Treatment ◽  
Strengthening Mechanism ◽  
Heating Time ◽  
Solution Time ◽  
Solution Temperature ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Total Strength ◽  
Cu Alloys ◽  
Short Heating Time

Contact solution treatment (CST) of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys can shorten solution time to within 40 s in comparison with 1800 s with traditional solution treatment using a heating furnace. Heating temperature is the key factor in solution treatment. Considering the short heating time of CST, the ultra-high solution temperature over 500 °C of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys was studied in this work. The effects of solution temperatures on the microstructures and the mechanical properties were investigated. The evolution of the second phases was explored and the strengthening mechanisms were also quantitatively evaluated. The results showed that solution time could be reduced to 10 s with the solution temperature of 535 °C due to the increasing dissolution rate of the second phase and the tensile strength of the aged specimen could reach 545 MPa. Precipitation strengthening was the main strengthening mechanism, accounting for 75.4% of the total strength. Over-burning of grain boundaries occurred when the solution temperature increased to 555 °C, leading to the deterioration of the strength.

scholarly journals Optimization of the conductivity of microwave components printed by inkjet and aerosol jet on polymeric substrates by IPL and laser sintering

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Chaimaa El Hajjaji ◽  
Nicolas Delhote ◽  
Serge Verdeyme ◽  
Malgorzata Piechowiak ◽  
Laurence Boyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Quality Factor ◽  
Silver Nanoparticle ◽  
Laser Sintering ◽  
Hot Plate ◽  
Sintering Time ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Nanoparticle Inks ◽  
Polymeric Substrates ◽  
Aerosol Jet Printing

Abstract In this work, microwave planar resonators are printed with silver nanoparticle inks using two printing technologies, inkjet printing and aerosol jet printing, on polyimide substrates. The microwave resonators used in this paper operate in the frequency band 5–21 GHz. The printing parameters, such as the number of printed layers of silver nanoparticle inks, drop spacing, and sintering time, were optimized to ensure repeatable and conductive test patterns. To improve the electrical conductivity of silver deposits, which are first dried using a hot plate or an oven, two complementary sintering methods are used: intense pulsed light (IPL) and laser sintering. This paper presents the results of different strategies for increasing the final quality factor of printed planar resonators and the trade-offs (sintering time versus final conductivity/unloaded Q) that can be reached. Improvement of the resonator unloaded quality factor (up to +55%) and of the equivalent electrical conductivity (up to 14.94 S/μm) at 14 GHz have been obtained thanks to these nonconventional sintering techniques. The total sintering durations of different combinations of sintering techniques (hot plate, oven, IPL, and laser) range from 960 to 90 min with a final conductivity from 14.94 to 7.1 S/μm at 14 GHz, respectively.

scholarly journals Hardware-in-the-loop simulation of wave energy converters based on dielectric elastomer generators

Meccanica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1223-1237
Author(s):  
Giacomo Moretti ◽  
Andrea Scialò ◽  
Giovanni Malara ◽  
Giovanni Gerardo Muscolo ◽  
Felice Arena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wave Energy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Test Site ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Polymer Materials ◽  
Hardware In The Loop ◽  
Wave Energy Converters ◽  
Energy Converters

AbstractDielectric elastomer generators (DEGs) are soft electrostatic generators based on low-cost electroactive polymer materials. These devices have attracted the attention of the marine energy community as a promising solution to implement economically viable wave energy converters (WECs). This paper introduces a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation framework for a class of WECs that combines the concept of the oscillating water columns (OWCs) with the DEGs. The proposed HIL system replicates in a laboratory environment the realistic operating conditions of an OWC/DEG plant, while drastically reducing the experimental burden compared to wave tank or sea tests. The HIL simulator is driven by a closed-loop real-time hydrodynamic model that is based on a novel coupling criterion which allows rendering a realistic dynamic response for a diversity of scenarios, including large scale DEG plants, whose dimensions and topologies are largely different from those available in the HIL setup. A case study is also introduced, which simulates the application of DEGs on an OWC plant installed in a mild real sea laboratory test-site. Comparisons with available real sea-test data demonstrated the ability of the HIL setup to effectively replicate a realistic operating scenario. The insights gathered on the promising performance of the analysed OWC/DEG systems pave the way to pursue further sea trials in the future.

Simulation and Characterization of Nanoparticle Thermal Conductivity for a Microscale Selective Laser Sintering System

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Grose ◽  
Obehi G. Dibua ◽  
Dipankar Behera ◽  
Chee S. Foong ◽  
Michael Cullinan
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Selective Laser Sintering ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Laser Sintering ◽  
Metal Nanoparticle ◽  
Feature Size ◽  
Cad Models ◽  
Minimum Feature Size ◽  
Geometric Arrangements ◽  
Thermal Simulations

Abstract Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies are often restricted by the minimum feature size of parts they can repeatably build. The microscale selective laser sintering (μ-SLS) process, which is capable of producing single micron resolution parts, addresses this issue directly. However, the unwanted dissipation of heat within the powder bed of a μ-SLS device during laser sintering is a primary source of error that limits the minimum feature size of the producible parts. A particle scale thermal model is needed to characterize the thermal properties of the nanoparticles undergoing sintering and allow for the prediction of heat affected zones (HAZ) and the improvement of final part quality. Thus, this paper presents a method for the determination of the effective thermal conductivity of metal nanoparticle beds in a microscale selective laser sintering process using finite element simulations in ANSYS. CAD models of nanoparticle groups at various timesteps during sintering are developed from Phase Field Modeling (PFM) output data, and steady state thermal simulations are performed on each group. The complete simulation framework developed in this work is adaptable to particle groups of variable sizes and geometric arrangements. Results from the thermal models are used to estimate the thermal conductivity of the copper nanoparticles as a function of sintering duration.

Experimental and theoretical study of the characteristics of LSPR peaks for metal NPs produced by controlling Ar ambient gas pressure to enhance the efficiency of solar cells

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Serap Yiğit Gezgin ◽  
Abdullah Kepceoğlu ◽  
Hamdi Şükür Kiliç
Keyword(s):  
Metal Nanoparticles ◽  
Ag Nanoparticles ◽  
Solar Spectrum ◽  
Wavelength Region ◽  
Gas Pressure ◽  
Metal Nanoparticle ◽  
Ag Nanoparticle ◽  
Extinction Cross Section ◽  
Ambient Gas ◽  
Ar Gas

In this study, silver (Ag) nanoparticle thin films were deposited on microscope slide glass and Si wafer substrates using the pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) technique in Ar ambient gas pressures of 1 × 10−3 and 7.5 × 10−1 mbar. AFM analysis has shown that the number of Ag nanoparticles reaching the substrate decreased with increasing Ar gas pressure. As a result of Ar ambient gas being allowed into the vacuum chamber, it was observed that the size and height of Ag nanoparticles decreased and the interparticle distances decreased. According to the absorption spectra taken by a UV–vis spectrometer, the wavelength where the localised surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak appeared was shifted towards the longer wavelength region in the solar spectrum as Ar background gas pressure was decreased. This experiment shows that LSPR wavelength can be tuned by adjusting the size of metal nanoparticles, which can be controlled by changing Ar gas pressure. The obtained extinction cross section spectra for Ag nanoparticle thin film was theoretically analysed and determined by using the metal nanoparticle–boundary element method (MNPBEM) toolbox simulation program. In this study, experimental spectrum and simulation data for metal nanoparticles were acquired, compared, and determined to be in agreement.

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