Cavitation dispersion process improves the properties of materials used in additive manufacturing of circuits. You will learn how one can control hydrodynamic cavitation to produce unique dispersions, formulated inks & pastes, high aspect ratio nanoparticle & ‘2D’ filler particle masterbatches. 



Cavitation dispersion process: how it works and how it improves properties of printed materials

<p id="isPasted">As part of the TechBlick (wwww.TechBlick.com) series we invited Hyun Lee, Ph.D, &nbsp;Lead Scientist at Celanese Micromax&trade; Electronic Inks and Pastes to tell us a special development in the world of additive electronics: high temperature pastes. This article was originally published on TechBlick<a href="https://www.techblick.com/post/innovative-high-temperature-inks-for-printed-electronics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> here. </a></p><p>To learn more all aspects of printed and additive electronics, join us in Berlin <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer" data-fr-linked="true" href="https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped" id="isPasted">https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped</a></p><p>The global printed electronics market is huge and estimated to reach USD 23 billion in revenue by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 18.3% from 2023 to 2028 [1]. Increased demand for printed electronic products in automotive and the growth of consumer electronics are two key fueling factors to drive the market growth. The two critical segments require various reliable printed electronic products for applications from low temperature to high temperature.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><span contenteditable="false" class="fr-img-caption  fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable" style="width: 758px;" draggable="false"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><a href="https://www.techblick.com/exhibitors-2023-berlin" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkxNTkzNTYwMDY1LTE2OTE1OTM1NjAwNjQucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" data-pin-media="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/090711_5254521966ad48ac916c7baf7ccea480~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_1081,h_265,al_c,lg_1,q_85/090711_5254521966ad48ac916c7baf7ccea480~mv2.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii" style="width: 758px;"><span class="fr-inner" contenteditable="true">Join us and the global additive electronics community in Berlin on 17-18 OCT 2023. Lets RESHAPE the Future of Electronics, making it Additive, Sustainable, Flexible, Hybrid, Wearable, and 3D. &nbsp;</span></a></span></span></p><p><br></p><p>The key enabler for reliable device fabrication in printed electronics is functional inks with tunable electrical properties such as conductivity, dielectric strength, and electrical resistance. &nbsp;Celanese Micromax&trade; Electronic Inks and Pastes is a global supplier of thick film pastes/inks and recently launched HT (High Temperature) ink series - HT602/603 resistors, HT702 dielectric and HT802 conductive inks for high-temperature and high-power applications. HT series inks can be printed additively by using screen printing or nozzle dispensing process on various flexible/rigid substrates including Kapton&reg; FPC, Kapton&reg; RS, FR-4, Aluminum, Alumina, and glass. &nbsp;The operation temperature of conventional PTF (Polymer Thick Film) ink is typically limited up to 200&deg;C due to the thermal degradation issue of polymeric</p><p>&nbsp;resin in ink formulations.&nbsp;</p><p>In the printed electronic industry, high-temperature and high-power applications often require operation temperatures above 200&deg;C. HT series inks were developed by using novel polyimide resin whose thermal resistant temperature is up to 300&deg;C. &nbsp;Polyimide resin is flexible thermoplastic allowing much more flexibility compared to rigid thermoset Epoxy resins that have been used for the majority of high-temperature applications. Another key benefit of our polyimide resin is its chemical resistance. The unique combination of high-temperature resistance, flexibility and chemical resistance of HT series inks is expected to provide solutions for new high-temperature applications in the printed electronics industry which couldn&rsquo;t be achievable by conventional PTF inks. This article will discuss key technical features of HT inks and their potential applications.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.techblick.com/exhibitors-2023-berlin" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>HT602/603 resistors</strong></p><p>Printable resistor ink can be used to deposit passive resistive components directly on a substrate. &nbsp;Applications include heated floors, pressure sensors and variable potentiometers. HT602 and HT603 were formulated by adding different types of Carbon black powders in a polyimide medium for high-temperature or high-power applications. The average Rs (Resistivity) is 25 Ω/□/mil for HT602 and 300 Ω/□/mil for HT603, respectively. Two HT resistors may be blended to meet specific Rs targets. If a higher Rs value is required than Rs of HT603, HT702 dielectric can be blended with HT603. Figure 1 shows (a) plot of Rs vs. blend ratio of HT603 and HT602, and (b) Rs vs. blend ratio of HT603 and HT702.&nbsp;</p><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block19"><br></div><div data-hook="imageViewer" tabindex="0"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkxNTkzNTU5MzMxLTE2OTE1OTM1NTkzMzEucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" data-pin-media="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/090711_24a091b42ee94fbc8b1dad56f9794d32~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_1056,h_421,al_c,q_90/090711_24a091b42ee94fbc8b1dad56f9794d32~mv2.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div type="image" data-hook="rcv-block21"><br></div><p>Figure 1. (a) Plot of Rs vs. blend ratio between HT602 and HT603; (b) Plot of Rs vs. blend ratio between HT603 and HT702.&nbsp;</p><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block23"><br></div><p>For reliable device operation, the resistance variation of the printed resistor should be minimal with temperatures. TCR (Temperature Coefficient of Resistance) of two HT resistors were measured at four different temperatures as shown in Figure 2. TCR data of HT602, 603 showed much lower values vs. conventional resistor inks (7082M, 7102) formulated with non-polyimide resin demonstrating more stable resistance values of HT resistors with temperatures.&nbsp;</p><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block26"><br></div><div data-hook="imageViewer" tabindex="0"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkxNTkzNTU5MTU2LTE2OTE1OTM1NTkxNTYucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" data-pin-media="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/090711_101b2a58975e4fbab04423aeebe44864~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_823,h_555,al_c,q_90/090711_101b2a58975e4fbab04423aeebe44864~mv2.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div type="image" data-hook="rcv-block27"><br></div><p>Figure 2. TCR comparison between HT602/603 containing polyimide and 7102/7082M containing non-polyimide resin.&nbsp;</p><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block29"><br></div><p>STOL (Short time overload) test was also performed to check how high power HT602 and HT603 could endure without resistance change. Chip resistor&rsquo;s standard criterion is less than +/- 1% of R change up to 2.5 times of desired operating voltage. Different size of HT resistor pattern was screen printed over Ag electrode as shown in Figure 3 and 0.5mm x 0.5mm printed resistor was used to monitor resistance deviation during STOL test. Test condition is 5sec dwelling time with step increase of voltage. Both HT602 and HT603 showed excellent stable resistance up to 200W/cm2 power density (Figure 4).</p><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block32"><br></div><div data-hook="imageViewer" tabindex="0"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkxNTkzNTU5OTgwLTE2OTE1OTM1NTk5ODAucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" data-pin-media="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/090711_29e7cbc68bea4e90b4309dd55b7276d8~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_641,h_673,al_c,lg_1,q_90/090711_29e7cbc68bea4e90b4309dd55b7276d8~mv2.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii" style="width: 624px;"></div><div type="image" data-hook="rcv-block33"><br></div><p>Figure 3. HT603 printed over Ag electrode on Alumina substrate for STOL test.</p><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block35"><br></div><div data-hook="imageViewer" tabindex="0"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkxNTkzNTU5ODU1LTE2OTE1OTM1NTk4NTQucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" data-pin-media="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/090711_a57ecf5c424e421d9b175b2464edff80~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_1136,h_568,al_c,q_90/090711_a57ecf5c424e421d9b175b2464edff80~mv2.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block37"><br></div><p>Figure 4. STOL test to check Resistance change with step-changing voltage (power density).</p><p><br></p><p><strong>HT702 dielectric</strong></p><p>To prevent mechanical damage or chemical oxidation of electronic circuits on Flex or Rigid PCB (printed circuit board), the protective layer is applied on top of the metalized circuit. &nbsp;A Conventional protective layer in the PCB industry is applied by photoimagible soldermask (typically epoxy material) on the rigid substrate or high-pressure assisted thermal lamination of Coverlay (polyimide with acrylic adhesive) on flex circuit. Both photoimaging of solder mask and coverlay lamination not only require multiple process steps but also generate waste of materials. The incumbent protective layers also have deficiencies on the material side; the thermoset epoxy solder mask is typically not flexible and coverlay contains acrylic adhesive which is not thermal resistant above 200&deg;C. &nbsp;</p><p>HT702 formulated with thermoplastic polyimide resin is more flexible than thermoset epoxy solder mask and has much higher thermal resistance than acrylic adhesive used in coverlay. The unique combination of flexibility and thermal resistance of HT702 is expected to create new applications in PCB industry where incumbent protective materials have a deficiency. In addition, direct printable HT702 dielectric ink can lower the overall cost of ownership by decreasing process steps and material waste. Good dielectric strength (BDV &gt; 0.5kV), excellent chemical resistance and excellent adhesion on various substrates are additional benefits of HT702. To achieve good dielectric strength and uniform coverage without pinhole defects, 2~3 printing and drying cycles are recommended. &nbsp;</p><p><strong>HT802 conductor</strong></p><p>HT802 is highly conducive and thermal-resistant ink formulated with silver powders and polyimide resin. High thermal/chemical resistant polyimide resin enables HT802 to be applicable to high-temperature applications such as electrodes for heaters or platable conductors where the plating process involves a caustic acid/base bath process. For example, figure 5(a) shows the HT802 electrode printed on 16in. x 16in. Kapton&reg; RS flexible heater. Uniform heating performance was achieved up to 240&deg;C (Figure 5(b)).&nbsp;</p><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block47"><br></div><div data-hook="imageViewer" tabindex="0"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkxNTkzNTYwMzkwLTE2OTE1OTM1NjAzOTAucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" data-pin-media="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/090711_9d9b14d321bc430fb26b20f4d99bd5f7~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_1312,h_540,al_c,q_90/090711_9d9b14d321bc430fb26b20f4d99bd5f7~mv2.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block49">Figure 5. (a) HT802 printed on Kapton&reg; RS film as an electrode for flexible heater fabrication. (b) Uniform heating up to 240&deg;C was demonstrated.&nbsp;</div><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block51"><br></div><p>Table 1 shows the performance of HT802 with different cure conditions. Resistivity decreased with higher cure temperatures while maintaining excellent adhesion on Kapton&reg; film. Interestingly, crease resistance also became better (lower % increase of electrical resistance) when HT802 was cured at higher temperatures. &nbsp;</p><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block53">Table 1. Resistivity, adhesion, and crease resistance of HT802 with cure condition. HT802 was screen printed on Kapton&reg; film.&nbsp;</div><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block56"><br></div><div data-hook="imageViewer" tabindex="0"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkxNTkzNTU5NDIxLTE2OTE1OTM1NTk0MjAucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" data-pin-media="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/090711_f1057c15757b49be87f225d832c50c73~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_1313,h_317,al_c,lg_1,q_90/090711_f1057c15757b49be87f225d832c50c73~mv2.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block58"><br></div><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p>Micromax&trade; Electronic Inks and Pastes launched a new HT product line using noble Polyimide resin chemistry for high-temperature printed electronics applications. &nbsp;The unique combination of high thermal/chemical resistance, flexibility, and additive printability of HT inks is expected to provide solutions for various high-temperature applications on both flexible and rigid substrates. &nbsp;Visit our website: https://www.celanese.com/products/micromax to find a technical datasheet of HT products [2].</p><div type="paragraph" data-hook="rcv-block60"><strong>References</strong></div><div type="paragraph" data-hook="rcv-block62">[1] <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/printed-electronics-market-197.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrY-Bu_CdgAMVBNzICh1yNA1FEAAYASAAEgKtI_D_BwE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Printed Electronics Market Revenue Trends and Growth Drivers | MarketsandMarkets</u></a></div><div type="paragraph" data-hook="rcv-block63">[2] <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.celanese.com/en/products/micromax" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Micromax&trade; Electronic Inks and Pastes (celanese.com)</u></a></div><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block66"><br></div><p><a href="https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a></p><div data-hook="imageViewer" tabindex="0"><span contenteditable="false" class="fr-img-caption  fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable" style="width: 758px;" draggable="false"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><a href="https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkxNTkzNTYwODg4LTE2OTE1OTM1NjA4ODgucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" data-pin-media="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/090711_dc5d68d6d8a849f6a309f71aa7d483e3~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1707,h_1707,al_c,q_90/090711_dc5d68d6d8a849f6a309f71aa7d483e3~mv2.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dii" style="width: 758px;"><span class="fr-inner" contenteditable="true">Join us and the global community in Berlin on 17-18 OCT 2023. Lets RESHAPE the Future of Electronics together, making it Additive, Sustainable, Hybrid, Wearable and 3D. https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped</span></a></span></span></div><p><br></p><div type="image" data-hook="rcv-block67"><br></div><p><br></p>

The key enabler for reliable device fabrication in printed electronics is functional inks with tunable electrical properties incl. conductivity, dielectric strength & electrical resistance. Here, you will learn about unique polyimide based pastes able to withstand temperatures up to 300°C. 

Innovative High-Temperature Inks for Printed Electronics

<p>XTPL developed an unique an totally new approach of printing functional materials with unparallel precision and repeatability. Technology called Ultra-Precise Deposition (UPD) is a nanodispensing method capable to print high density and high viscous materials with the resolution down to 1 &micro;m in feature size and with high ratio of width to height after single pass. For this method material extrusion is controlled by a pressure, which means it is not supported with high electric field. Thanks to this there are no limitation if the substrate is conductive or dielectric.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjY3OTQ0NDk1MzczLUltZy0xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 736px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p>The combination of unique parameters of the UPD approach opens new possibilities, previously not covered by any other printing methods. First of all, the resolution of the conductive traces can reach 1/1 &micro;m L/S. What is more, similar resolution can be achieved even on complex, 3D topographies. This enables printing high density interconnections through even 90&deg; steps (for example wire-bonding alternative for chip interconnections).<br id="isPasted">Two more unique features were originally tested for conductive structures, but can have a huge benefit for printing other materials like QD ink. These features are micro-bumps deposition and via/micro-cavity filling with the highest repeatability comparing to other printing methods. The biggest needs for QD Color Conversion are ultra-high resolution, possibility of using high solid content inks for high efficiency and repeatability for high homogeneity of the display.</p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1667944549431-Img-2.jpg" style="width: 764px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p>The precise microdots deposition capability can be used for deposition of micro-bumps for flip chip application. Currently the results presented on the slide below are made using highly-concentrated silver paste (CL85). The dot diameter is around 8 &micro;m, and the dot height is around 800 nm, which gives a relatively high aspect ratio compared to printed electronics techniques, like inkjet or EHD, and competitive repeatability. The cross-section analysis of the dots shows parabolic geometry, which, for example, simplifies the deposition of subsequent layers without the risk of cracks. A photo of Albert Einstein made of hundreds of thousands of 8 &micro;m micro-bumps presents also the stability of the process over the time.</p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1667944610806-Img-3.jpg" style="width: 750px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p>The ability of UPD to extrude ink with femtoliter precision allows not only to print microdots but also to fill microcavities. This feature may help manufacture high-resolution multilayers or through silicon via interconnections. To fill a microcavity, one has to precisely position the printing nozzle and dispense a certain amount of material. In the slide below you can see microcavity with a depth of 10 &mu;m and a diameter of 25 &mu;m, which we uniformly fill with a silver paste (85 wt.% of solid content).</p><p><br id="isPasted">Similar capabilities of precise microcavity filling can be used in deposition of QD material into structures like photoresist windows or nanorings to significantly increase color conversion efficiency (CCE).</p><p><br>Compared to other digital additive manufacturing techniques like inkjet and EHD, UPD technology allows to fill the structures with high uniformity and repeatability with use of inks with higher concentration of QDs. Combination of unique capabilities of the UPD printing method provides a solution for efficient fabrication of QD color conversion for next generation Micro-LED displays.</p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1667944645211-Img-4.jpg" style="width: 751px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><br></p><p></p><p><br></p>

A unique new approach of printing functional materials with unparallel precision and repeatability. Technology called Ultra-Precise Deposition (UPD) is a nanodispensing method capable to print high density and high viscous materials with the resolution down to 1 µm in feature size and with high ratio of width to height after single pass. For this method material extrusion is controlled by a pressure, which means it is not supported with high electric field. Thanks to this there are no limitation if the substrate is conductive or dielectric.

Ultra-Precise Deposition for the Fabrication of Next-Generation MicroLED and QD-LED Displays

<p id="isPasted">However, in a recent <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/71510477/admin/#" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank">TechBlick</a> talk, as shown in slide 1, &nbsp;Dr&nbsp;<a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/71510477/admin/#" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank">Aart-Jan Hoeven</a> showed an example in microfluidics where EHD could delvier value. Here, this technology could enable the electrode widths or pitches to be narrowed from 30-40um (possible with industrial inkjet) to perhaps 1-5um using EHD, thus saving space. This will support the miniaturization trend of microfluidics, making possible to even integrate them into the human body<br><br></p><p>In slide 2&nbsp;<a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/71510477/admin/#" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank">DoMicro BV</a> &#39;s laboratory-scale nano printer can be seen in more detail. It is able to deposit ultrafine features digitally! This DM50-ENP printer is generating significant interest and was developed as part of E-Nanoprint-Pro project<br><br></p><p><a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/71510477/admin/#" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank">Marcel Grooten</a> <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/71510477/admin/#" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank">Lars Wienholts</a>&nbsp;</p><div data-hook="rcv-block7" type="paragraph"><br></div><p><a href="https://www.techblick.com/blog/hashtags/EHDjet" tabindex="0" target="_self"><strong>#EHDjet</strong></a> <a href="https://www.techblick.com/blog/hashtags/microfluidics" tabindex="0" target="_self"><strong>#microfluidics</strong></a> <a href="https://www.techblick.com/blog/hashtags/printedelectronics" tabindex="0" target="_self"><strong>#printedelectronics</strong></a><strong>&nbsp;</strong><br><br><strong><a href="https://www.techblick.com/post/microfluidics-and-electrohydrodynamic-printing-ehd" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" id="isPasted"></a></strong></p><div data-hook="rcv-block8" type="paragraph">Read more at <a href="https://www.techblick.com/post/microfluidics-and-electrohydrodynamic-printing-ehd" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.techblick.com/post/microfluidics-and-electrohydrodynamic-printing-ehd</a></div><div data-hook="rcv-block9" type="empty-line"><br></div><div data-hook="galleryViewer"><div data-key="pro-gallery-inner-container" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="37406add-280f-4f68-a1bb-bd2dc022b75b_0" data-idx="0" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="37406add-280f-4f68-a1bb-bd2dc022b75b_0" data-hook="item-container" data-id="37406add-280f-4f68-a1bb-bd2dc022b75b_0" data-idx="0" tabindex="0"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="0" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666115384724-1666115384724.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div data-hook="item-hover-0"><br></div></div></div></div><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="9c1fb8d4-c648-4a48-9d8e-997f4a7c6018_1" data-idx="1" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="9c1fb8d4-c648-4a48-9d8e-997f4a7c6018_1" data-hook="item-container" data-id="9c1fb8d4-c648-4a48-9d8e-997f4a7c6018_1" data-idx="1" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="1" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666115384815-1666115384815.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div data-hook="item-hover-1"><br></div></div></div></div><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="18101a19-61c3-4dd6-8179-f94a7f25b37c_2" data-idx="2" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="18101a19-61c3-4dd6-8179-f94a7f25b37c_2" data-hook="item-container" data-id="18101a19-61c3-4dd6-8179-f94a7f25b37c_2" data-idx="2" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="2" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666115384906-1666115384906.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div></div></div></div></div></div>

 EHD is a promising digital printing technology for going beyond the resolution limits of inkjet. Most examples showcase electronic or display related applications. 



Microfluidics and Electrohydrodynamic printing (EHD)?

<p id="isPasted">This is achieved using conventional photolithography-based techniques.</p><p>Next, the template wafer is &#39;inked&#39; using a directed assembly process. In the key step, the template wafer is immesed in a solution containing the nanomaterial of choice - which could, for example be metals (Au, Ag, Cu, etc) or even organic polymers. Under the application of a voltage, the directed assembly process ensures the inking of the template wafer, i.e., the deposition of the nanomaterials onto the etched patterns on the template wafers.&nbsp;</p><p>The &#39;inked&#39; wafer is then used as a printing plate. &nbsp;The automated machine takes the wafer and brings it into precision contact with the target substrate, which could be PET. Under pressure, contract printing takes place, transfering the ink from the inked wafer onto the final substarte. The process is then repeated to achieve high-throughput wafer-based printing. The template wafer is said to be resubale upto 100 times or more.</p><p>Nano-Ops has shown that all types of materials can be deposited using various directed assembly techniques (electrophoretic and fludic). &nbsp;Slides one and two below shows example of different materials and patterns deposited on an patterned wafer (on the template wafer) using this technique. The feature sizes range from a few mironmeters down to 20 nanometers.&nbsp;</p><p>In slides three and four show an example of a fan-out circuit printed. The gold structure are 12um feature. The thicknesses are typically between 300nm and 1um with upto 50% of bulk conductivity achieved on the inked wafer. Indeed, as seen in slide 4, the I-V characteristics of the 800nm-thick &#39;printed&#39; Cu lines are comparable to that &nbsp;of 800nm sputtered Cu lines.</p><p>This is a unique technique full of potential. When the entire process (directed assembly + alignment + transfer + consistency across multiple print runs ) is optimized for a given material set and layer structure in a given application, then it could lead to rapid &#39;printing&#39; of nanoscale complex multiplayer and multi-material devices at costs far below standard silicon fabs and at resolutions far beyond the reach of stnadard printing techniques.</p><p>Ahmed et al will be showcasing and presenting this technology in Eindhoven on 12-13 OCT 2022 at the TechBlick show. Learn more here &nbsp;<a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><u>https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped</u></a><br><br>Read more at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.techblick.com/post/additive-and-high-throughput-nanoscale-multi-layer-printing-materials-and-devices-on-any-substrate" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.techblick.com/post/additive-and-high-throughput-nanoscale-multi-layer-printing-materials-and-devices-on-any-substrate</a></p><div data-hook="rcv-block15" type="paragraph"><br></div><p><br></p><div data-hook="rcv-block16" type="empty-line"><br></div><div data-hook="galleryViewer"><div data-key="pro-gallery-inner-container" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="73e42214-a386-4d78-86cb-76f10b2c3aa8_0" data-idx="0" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="73e42214-a386-4d78-86cb-76f10b2c3aa8_0" data-hook="item-container" data-id="73e42214-a386-4d78-86cb-76f10b2c3aa8_0" data-idx="0" tabindex="0"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="0" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666112639677-1666112639677.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div data-hook="item-hover-0"><br></div></div></div></div><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="38ecb0a1-d31e-4d37-9263-45e6de7047b2_1" data-idx="1" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="38ecb0a1-d31e-4d37-9263-45e6de7047b2_1" data-hook="item-container" data-id="38ecb0a1-d31e-4d37-9263-45e6de7047b2_1" data-idx="1" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="1" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666112639652-1666112639652.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div data-hook="item-hover-1"><br></div></div></div></div><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="f46d747d-7252-47c7-949d-d01dd24ef5e7_2" data-idx="2" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="f46d747d-7252-47c7-949d-d01dd24ef5e7_2" data-hook="item-container" data-id="f46d747d-7252-47c7-949d-d01dd24ef5e7_2" data-idx="2" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="2" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666112639397-1666112639397.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div data-hook="item-hover-2"><br></div></div></div></div><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="45f0d327-767b-4c18-8a76-81336971b953_3" data-idx="3" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="45f0d327-767b-4c18-8a76-81336971b953_3" data-hook="item-container" data-id="45f0d327-767b-4c18-8a76-81336971b953_3" data-idx="3" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="3" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666112639501-1666112639501.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div></div></div></div></div></div><p><br></p>

Nano-Ops is commercialising an automated wafer-based process and fab-in-a-box based on the directed assembly technology which can 'print' features down to 20nm. 
Here, In the first step a pattern is first etched into a template wafer. 

Additive and high-throughput nanoscale multi-layer printing materials and devices on any substrate?

<p id="isPasted">Each title should house the microLEDs, backplane, as well as driver electrodes. The microLEDs and the backplane sit on the front side of the glass substrate whilst the driver electrodes are tucked away at the back. Interconnects are needed to connect the two. Wrap-around electrodes (interconnects wraping around the edge to connect front and back) is an elegent solution which bypasses the need for a drilled and filled through-glass via.</p><p>The wrap around electrodes can be printed or PVD deposited (both prefer chamfered glass) . The latter can yield better feature sizes and thin and conductive lines, whilst the former can increase productivity. &nbsp;</p><p>The below images demonstrate various technologies. Screen printing is a robust solution with low TACT time. Applied Materials has demonstrated that it can screen print very narrow (30um) linewidths over narrow spacings (50um). &nbsp;</p><p>These are excellent results. Note, by way of reference, that state-of-the-practice/production and state-of-the-art in screen printing of conductive paste on silicon solar PVs are 35um and 20um, respectively. In the process, first the top and botton electrodes are printed before the substrate is rotated (with excellent alignment) to print the electrodes over the edge.&nbsp;</p><p>This technologies requires excellent machines. Applied Materials has launched a machine able to handle 230x230mm substrate with +/- 6um repeatability and a throughput of 1000pph. Note that optimization of the past and print process are critical. In general, a paste with very high conductivity (20% bulk Ag) with 5B adhesion onto glass will be needed. The target final printed thickness is 3-5um. &nbsp;The screen printing process should yield smooth surface with no peaks near the edge.&nbsp;</p><p>Aerosol jet is also being proposed for additive deposition of wrap-around electrodes. The advantage of aerosol is that it can print over 3D surfaces and that it can in general deposit fine features than screen printing. To achieve wrap-around electrodes, two half-wrap electrodes must be printed (see below). In between the steps, the glass will need to be rotated. Optomec claims to achieve 18k full-wrap interconencts per hour (excluding the time it takes to rotate the glass). &nbsp;Note that the example below shows L/S 50um although, in princible, aerosol jet can go from down.</p><p>In general, this is an interesting solution for the microLED market</p><p>Read more at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.techblick.com/post/printed-wrap-around-electrodes-for-microleds" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.techblick.com/post/printed-wrap-around-electrodes-for-microleds</a></p><div data-hook="rcv-block17" type="empty-line"><br></div><div data-hook="imageViewer" tabindex="0"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666110649940-1666110649940.png" alt="" data-pin-media="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/634751_846940aa61cc44ac90213a2e09fffb77~mv2.gif/v1/fit/w_800%2Ch_450%2Cal_c%2Cq_80,enc_auto/file.gif" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div data-hook="rcv-block18" type="image"><br></div><p><br></p><div data-hook="rcv-block19" type="empty-line"><br></div><p><br></p><div data-hook="rcv-block20" type="empty-line"><br></div><p><br></p>

To scale up microLED displays to large areas, smaller displays can be titled. Because microLEDs can be truely edge-less devices, the tiling can function, yielding a seemless look.

Printed wrap-around electrodes for microLEDs

<p>Is this the most stretchable conductive ink for wearable applications?</p><p><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable fr-active" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/725170375" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" style="width: 712px; height: 431px;"></iframe></span><br></p>

Stretchable Electronics and inks for durable wearable electronics. These inks can be printed on TPU films which can be bonded to fabrics. This results in devices that stretch without cracking and maintain excellent electrical properties. Examples include biometric sensors & fixed resistance heaters

Stretchable Electronic Materials For Wearable Applications

<p id="isPasted">Here, we highlight the progress by Agfa, who offers both solvent and water based, as well as screen and inkjet printed (IJ) Ag nanoparticle (NP) inks. The first slide below shows the progress in curing time and temperature of a solvent-based IJ printable Ag NP inks. The left picture is the zoomed up version of the right picture. The compares the properties of two different solvent based IJ Ag NP inks: SPS201 and SPS210 sintered at different temperatures (110C, 130C, and 150C).&nbsp;</p><p>For a given sintering temperature, we can see that SPS210 reaches a lower resistivity level at a shorter time compared to SPS201, clearly demonstrating this incremental but important advancement of the Ag NP ink technology. As seen in the following slide, the SP2010 Ag NP IJ ink can achieve 3mOhm/sqr/mill when sintered at just 130C for 10min. These are excellent results.&nbsp;</p><p>IJP Ag NP inks are beginning to find suitable applications. In the last slide, you can see printed Ag NP lines as narrow (70um) metallization line on a thin film photovoltaic technology (note: screen printed lines on Si PV are now 34um). Next to it, you can see a transparent heater application.</p><p>Here, the application is a photochromic laminate for motor sport visors. The visor can change optical transmission to maintain good visibility in different outdoor light levels. One limitation of the photochromic laminate is that it can change its transparency state only slows. This can be a challenge when the driver enters, for example, a tunnel, transitioning from intense sun light into darkness quickly. To overcome this limitation, the laminate can be heated to accelerate the transition. To this end, a CNT or ITO solution is deployed. The result are ok however homogeneous heating can still take too long (40s or longer).</p><p>To overcome this limitation, a metal mesh with linewidth of 70um and pitch of 2mm is inkjet printed using Ag NP inks (SPS211). As seen in the slide below, it reduces resistance to 11ohm, and achieves uniform heating in just 20s, which meets requirements.</p><div data-hook="rcv-block10" type="paragraph">Read more at <a href="https://www.techblick.com/post/ag-nanoparticle-inks-achieving-ever-higher-conductivity-at-lower-curing-time-and-temperature" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.techblick.com/post/ag-nanoparticle-inks-achieving-ever-higher-conductivity-at-lower-curing-time-and-temperature</a></div><div data-hook="rcv-block12" type="empty-line"><br></div><div data-hook="imageViewer" tabindex="0"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666108637079-1666108637079.png" alt="" data-pin-media="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/634751_4617c41858f7433ead6b10a047062913~mv2.gif/v1/fit/w_800%2Ch_450%2Cal_c%2Cq_80,enc_auto/file.gif" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div data-hook="rcv-block13" type="image"><br></div><p><br></p><div data-hook="rcv-block14" type="empty-line"><br></div><div data-loaded="true"><div data-vimeo-initialized="true"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/687667932?h=ec25871f9e&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&playsinline=0&autopause=0&app_id=122963" width="426" height="234" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="9 March 2022 | AGFA | Progress In Inkjet Nanosilver Inks | 5 min" data-ready="true" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe></div></div><div data-hook="rcv-block15" type="video"><br></div><p><br></p>

Silver nanoparticle inks improve every year. These improvements are often incremental, but very important. One ever-present direction of development is towards inks which offer ever higher conductivity levels at a low curing temperature and a short curing time. This a critical figure of merit because it opens more substrate choices, saves time, and lowers energy consumption costs. 

Ag Nanoparticle Inks: Achieving Ever Higher Conductivity at Lower Curing Time and Temperature

<p id="isPasted">The first slide shows an excellent benchmarking of different battery chemistries for printed batteries. The Zinc/manganese dioxide system is the most popular option.</p><p>As shown in slide 2, we see that these batteries can be manufactured in two architectures: coplanar and stacked. The former is simpler to print and is more flexible, but offers lower performance.</p><p>In slide 3, a closer look at the layers in a stacked printed battery is offered. As seen here, even this so-called &#39;simple&#39; device involves many printing step! Since Ag is not electrochemically inert, a carbon black layer is also printed.</p><p>The particles in the anode and cathode are typically in the 10-50um range and thus can only be screen printed. Note that the cathode is typically 1.5x thicker than the anode. The printed battery layers typically have 150um thickness and the batteries achieve something in the range of 2-6mAh per cm2. Furthermore, in printing them, strong adhesion of the electrodes to the current carriers is essential.</p><p>All these show how complicated it is to print even a simple zinc/manganese battery - it involves significant know-how and learning, which can not be achieved overnight!&nbsp;</p><p>The final slide shows an elegant clever approach to printing the system. Here, the materials are printed on a planar sheet and then folded to create the full battery stack.</p><p>This technology is now being commercialized by <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/71510477/admin/#" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank">VARTA AG</a> . It also has commercial orders in applications such as tracking items in the chemical industry.&nbsp;</p><p>To learn more about printed batteries join us on 12 &amp; 13 October 2022 | Eindhoven, Netherlands at the TechBlick show- where the printed electronics community connects</p><p><a href="http://www.TechBlick.com/electronicsreshaped" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.TechBlick.com/electronicsreshaped</a></p><div data-hook="rcv-block13" type="paragraph"><br></div><p><br></p><div data-hook="rcv-block14" type="empty-line"><br></div><div data-hook="galleryViewer"><div data-key="pro-gallery-inner-container" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="71db38cf-f8c1-48a7-ba3e-a7d8cd280420_0" data-idx="0" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="71db38cf-f8c1-48a7-ba3e-a7d8cd280420_0" data-hook="item-container" data-id="71db38cf-f8c1-48a7-ba3e-a7d8cd280420_0" data-idx="0" tabindex="0"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="0" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1665063822269-1665063822269.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div data-hook="item-hover-0"><br></div></div></div></div><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="2d6eeda8-6012-4572-8fb8-cc0e1ec3ac04_1" data-idx="1" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="2d6eeda8-6012-4572-8fb8-cc0e1ec3ac04_1" data-hook="item-container" data-id="2d6eeda8-6012-4572-8fb8-cc0e1ec3ac04_1" data-idx="1" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="1" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1665063824618-1665063824618.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div data-hook="item-hover-1"><br></div></div></div></div><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="acc70ed6-6ac4-4841-aa67-b72ac3fda337_2" data-idx="2" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="acc70ed6-6ac4-4841-aa67-b72ac3fda337_2" data-hook="item-container" data-id="acc70ed6-6ac4-4841-aa67-b72ac3fda337_2" data-idx="2" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="2" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1665063824836-1665063824836.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div data-hook="item-hover-2"><br></div></div></div></div><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="81271af9-e6bc-4e17-9940-97d68c02e583_3" data-idx="3" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="81271af9-e6bc-4e17-9940-97d68c02e583_3" data-hook="item-container" data-id="81271af9-e6bc-4e17-9940-97d68c02e583_3" data-idx="3" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="3" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1665063824314-1665063824314.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div data-hook="item-hover-3"><br></div></div></div></div><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="b68f39a4-a37c-4dc8-a884-8f623bea55ee_4" data-idx="4" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="b68f39a4-a37c-4dc8-a884-8f623bea55ee_4" data-hook="item-container" data-id="b68f39a4-a37c-4dc8-a884-8f623bea55ee_4" data-idx="4" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="4" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1665063823618-1665063823618.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div></div></div></div></div></div><p><br></p>

Printed batteries offer thinness and flexibility, enabling new applications, but their production is deceivingly complex. Gunter Hübner from Stuttgart Media University offered some insights at the e-Swiss conference last week. 

Printed battery technology: thin, flexible, and low cost for everyday objects

<p id="isPasted">Written by: <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="mailto:tessa.reder@voltera.io" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><u>Tessa Reder</u></a><u>&nbsp;</u>and Kate Laing | Voltera</p><p>NOVA, Voltera&rsquo;s new direct-ink write (DIW), precision dispensing, and 3D printing platform for printed electronics, changes the landscape on which the field of FHE is built. Providing the opportunity to experiment with <em>any</em> screen printable material, and customize and re-design patterns on the fly, NOVA allows a materials flexibility that has never been experienced before.</p><p>&ldquo;Additive manufacturing is transforming what electronics are, as well as their role in the world around us. If you want to print on a thermoplastic stretchable elastomer, like a rubbery material, with NOVA &mdash; you can do that. And all of a sudden you have an electronic device that has the mechanical properties of the skin. This is something that was never possible before with traditional electronics,&rdquo; said Matt Ewertowski, Product Manager at Voltera, during a <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://soundcloud.com/making-it-in-ontario/030-gerd-grau-matt-ewertowski-additive-manufacturing-of-electronics?utm_source=clipboard&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fmaking-it-in-ontario%252F030-gerd-grau-matt-ewertowski-additive-manufacturing-of-electronics" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><u>Made in Ontario podcast</u></a> interview with Professor Gerd Grau, Director of the <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.eecs.yorku.ca/~grau/" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><u>E-AM lab at York University</u></a>.&nbsp;</p><p>As additive electronics technology evolves, researchers like Professor Grau and his group are pushing the boundaries of how the additive manufacturing process can revolutionize the design of products in industries across the board.</p><p>Professor Grau and Master&rsquo;s student Yoland El-hajj began exploring the potential of extrusion printing, also known as <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.voltera.io/blog/introduction-direct-ink-writing-printing-technology" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><u>direct-write</u></a> technology, to fabricate tattoo electrodes. Existing sensor technology used in the medical industry can be cumbersome, heavy, and uncomfortable for patients &mdash; especially when it needs to be worn for long periods of time.&nbsp;</p><p>Research in printed biomedical tattoos has previously relied on traditional fabrication methods, which are costly and complex, and the majority of the electrode tattoos use organic materials with low conductivity. After identifying this gap in the microfabrication of printed medical electrodes, El-hajj sought to explore the potential for more accessible and efficient microfabrication processes &mdash; specifically, extrusion printing.&nbsp;</p><p><a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9781535" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><em><u>Inkjet and Extrusion Printed Silver Biomedical Tattoo Electrodes</u></em></a> is a preprint of El-hajj&rsquo;s final thesis paper, due to be submitted for publication in a journal later this summer. It examines the quality of biomedical tattoo electrodes fabricated using NOVA and DIW technology in comparison with those made via a more traditional route, like inkjet technology.&nbsp;</p><p>The two print methods were optimized to print silver-based conductive inks on tattoo paper and the resulting tattoo electrodes were compared by their sheet resistance, impedance, and mechanical performance in terms of bending strain. El-hajj and her team used silver-based inks due to their high conductivity, mechanical robustness, biocompatibility, and cost.</p><div data-hook="rcv-block16" type="paragraph"><br></div><div data-hook="imageViewer" tabindex="0"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjY1MDYzMDYzNjIwLTE2NjUwNjMwNjM2MjAucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" data-pin-media="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/090711_c11ee7a113594c55b63173d0bb5e0fd2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_617%2Ch_694%2Cal_c%2Cq_80,enc_auto/file.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><p>Figure 1: Extrusion printed silver tattoo electrode (top) and conventional snap electrode (bottom)</p><p>The results of El-hajj et al&rsquo;s research indicates that traces printed using DIW technology have improved sheet resistance and impedance when compared to traces printed using inkjet technology. The proposed mechanism for these differences is because the viscosity of DIW conductive inks is significantly higher than inks used in inkjet technology which are low viscosity and have a relatively high proportion of solvent. DIW inks are therefore not absorbed as readily by the tattoo paper used as the substrate, which allows for more robust electrical traces and improved conductivity in comparison to inkjet inks.&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;There is a large potential for the fabrication of medical electrodes using printing methods, and with the use of more robust materials. Printing-based techniques can provide numerous benefits for medical sensors, such as flexibility in the materials and patterns and personalization of the sensor structure. In addition, more electrically and mechanically robust materials can be implemented using flexible materials,&rdquo; says El-hajj.</p><p>Advancements in additive electronics manufacturing processes are enabling scientists, researchers, and product developers to push the boundaries of electronics innovation, due in part to the variety of materials you can print with and print on. Through <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.voltera.io/blog/ultimate-guide-choosing-materials-new-electronics-product" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><u>experimentation with different materials and applications</u></a>, NOVA users &mdash; including Professor Grau&rsquo;s research team &mdash; are studying and developing additive manufacturing techniques to create a new generation of electronics with transformative potential. &nbsp;</p><p><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T62cUY8uj8M?&lc=UgyCS6wr0NzViBwWlVl4AaABAg&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe></span><br></p><p>To learn more visit <a href="https://www.techblick.com/post/comparison-of-inkjet-and-extrusion-printed-tattoo-electrodes-for-biomedical-applications" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.techblick.com/post/comparison-of-inkjet-and-extrusion-printed-tattoo-electrodes-for-biomedical-applications</a></p>

Experimenting in the world of Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) comes with a variety of hurdles. Printing technologies are vastly different in terms of materials compatibility and have pros and cons that make them suitable for particular applications. Choosing materials that match the printing technology you intend to use is the most important decision you’re going to make. 
But what if one could print, digitally, using any paste and ink on any substrate? Read more

Comparison of Inkjet and Extrusion Printed Tattoo Electrodes for Biomedical Applications

<p>To overcome this issue, <a data-attribute-index="0" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniProfile:ACoAAABAP5cBYvrXJUAWBalx5GfjF9G7A62hSh8" data-entity-type="MINI_PROFILE" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAABAP5cBYvrXJUAWBalx5GfjF9G7A62hSh8" id="isPasted" target="_blank">Zachary James Davis</a> et al at <a data-attribute-index="2" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniCompany:7092" data-entity-type="MINI_COMPANY" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/teknologiskinstitut/" target="_blank">Teknologisk Institut</a> have scaled up copper nanoparticle production with particle sizes between 30-300nm. As can be seen below, they have already achieved the following:</p><p><br>1) 10+ Kg per day - here the main bottleneck is the heating and mixing of the green ingredients<br>2) 300 Euros per Kg cost of production which is comparable to cost of production of Ag nanoparticles. This level of production cost- coupled with much lower raw material cost @36.7 Euro/Kg - can translate into a much lower product cost<br>3) Inkjet printable inks with DGME based solvents able to lay down 0.5-1um thick layers in a single pass achieving 60mOhm per sqr<br>4) screen printable versions (in development) targeting 50 mOhm/sqr</p><p><br>The scale up of Cu nanoparticle production with automated workflows is an important step towards making Cu ink and paste technology a commercially viable alternative to the dominant Ag inks and pastes&nbsp;</p><p><br><a data-attribute-index="4" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=copper&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966445428347125760" target="_blank">#copper</a> <a data-attribute-index="5" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=ci&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966445428347125760" target="_blank">#Ci</a> <a data-attribute-index="6" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=conductivepaste&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966445428347125760" target="_blank">#conductivepaste</a> <a data-attribute-index="7" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=printedelectronics&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966445428347125760" target="_blank">#printedelectronics</a> <a data-attribute-index="8" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=inkjet&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966445428347125760" target="_blank">#inkjet</a> <a data-attribute-index="9" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=screenprinting&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966445428347125760" target="_blank">#screenprinting</a> <a data-attribute-index="10" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=nanoparticles&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966445428347125760" target="_blank">#nanoparticles</a> <a data-attribute-index="11" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=nanoparticle&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966445428347125760" target="_blank">#nanoparticle</a></p><p><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable fr-active" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/741186937" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" style="width: 767px; height: 592px;"></iframe></span>&nbsp;</p>

Cost of production has been a major barrier despite the fact that Cu raw material prices are far lower than Ag. This is because this large raw material cost difference does not often get translated into equally large nanoparticle dispersion or ink costs. Can this be overcome?

Will copper nanoparticle inks finally come of age to disrupt the dominance of silver in the conductive paste business?

<p>Warp knitting is an excellent candidate. It combines weaving and weft knitting, allowing the warp knitted fabrics to have the stability of woven fabrics and the elasticity of knitted ones. This well established technology can enable the integration of complex circuit patterns using functional / conductive fabrics with standard textiles using a mass production technique able to handle many different fibers in the same process.<br id="isPasted"><br>In this short talk, <a data-attribute-index="0" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniProfile:ACoAABy0KRcBbFu-n8OqMPyzcTkpxcTnK6HPTEo" data-entity-type="MINI_PROFILE" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAABy0KRcBbFu-n8OqMPyzcTkpxcTnK6HPTEo" target="_blank">Sophia Krinner</a> <a data-attribute-index="2" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniCompany:12207805" data-entity-type="MINI_COMPANY" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/karl-mayer/" target="_blank">KARL MAYER</a> showcases the following amazing technology demonstrators:<br><br>1- textile as remote control for commanding a mini robot<br>2- working mobile phone charger pad based on textiles<br>3- smart shirt for measuring heart rate, temperature and humidity<br><br>To learn more join TechBlick&nbsp;<a data-attribute-index="11" href="http://www.techblick.com/" target="_blank">www.TechBlick.com</a><br><br><a data-attribute-index="4" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=textiles&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6967527312263122944" target="_blank">#textiles</a> <a data-attribute-index="5" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=etextiles&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6967527312263122944" target="_blank">#etextiles</a> <a data-attribute-index="6" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=electronictextiles&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6967527312263122944" target="_blank">#electronictextiles</a> <a data-attribute-index="7" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=knitting&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6967527312263122944" target="_blank">#knitting</a> <a data-attribute-index="8" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=hmi&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6967527312263122944" target="_blank">#hmi</a> <a data-attribute-index="9" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=ecg&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6967527312263122944" target="_blank">#ecg</a> <a data-attribute-index="10" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=wearables&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6967527312263122944" target="_blank">#wearables</a>&nbsp;</p><p><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable fr-active" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/741953753" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" style="width: 766px; height: 603px;"></iframe></span><br></p>

Warp knitting is an excellent candidate. It combines weaving and weft knitting, allowing the warp knitted fabrics to have the stability of woven fabrics and the elasticity of knitted ones.

Integrate electronic circuits into standard textiles using a mass production techniques?

<p>Conformal EMI shielding is a megatrend on its way to become ubiquitous in electronics. The incumbent process is based on sputtering a tri-layer structure consisting of SUS (stainless steel)- Cu-SUS (total stack is 3-6um typically) on the EMC (epoxy molding compound) of the package. <a data-attribute-index="0" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniProfile:ACoAABlK4AsBB0ypJPmNdq5PNRtq0StcH01KAVA" data-entity-type="MINI_PROFILE" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAABlK4AsBB0ypJPmNdq5PNRtq0StcH01KAVA" id="isPasted" target="_blank">Hikaru Uno</a> from <a data-attribute-index="2" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniCompany:1486" data-entity-type="MINI_COMPANY" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/merck/" target="_blank">Merck</a> &amp; <a data-attribute-index="4" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniProfile:ACoAAAI6NWYBPqYbhQWPbf4HnWOtkYiqIo2z9V4" data-entity-type="MINI_PROFILE" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAI6NWYBPqYbhQWPbf4HnWOtkYiqIo2z9V4" target="_blank">Melbs LeMieux</a> from <a data-attribute-index="6" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniCompany:3540441" data-entity-type="MINI_COMPANY" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/electroninks-incorporated/" target="_blank">Electroninks Incorporated</a> show an alternative based on non-vacuum spray coating of particle-free Ag inks. In these slides, you can see performance analysis and detailed cost analysis/projections.</p><p>The incumbent (sputtering) is a well established technique with many market reference from the likes of Apple and Samsung. However, it is a vacuum process requiring substantial CapEx investments with a large production footprint. The sputtering deposition rate will also be low given the required film quality. Sputtering is poor at side wall and deep trench coverage, resulting in large thickness variations between the top and side walls.</p><p>Spraying the EMI shielding can address some issues: it is a non vacuum process with a low Capex and a high unit-per-hour (UPH) throughput and is able to offer uniform side and top wall coverage. The spraying can be used with Ag or Cu nanoparticles.</p><p>Both nanoparticle techniques though suffer from expensive materials, potential for nozzle clogging and thus production downtime, and even relatively thick required coatings.</p><p>To overcome these shortcomings, particle-free silver inks can be sprayed.</p><p>Is this technique effective? The below slides show shielding effective upto 40GHz with 1.2 and 3um coatings. This seems to meet the requirements.</p><p>Is it reliable? In the slides below you can reliability data showing no measured change in sheet resistance of the package-level coated when subjected to a prolonged duration of harsh conditions</p><p>Is it cost effective? Sputtering has a high capex cost as well as relatively high labour costs. However, spraying has higher ongoing material consumption costs.The slides below shows that spraying can be a very cost competitive approach</p><p>Already commercial? It is still in sampling. The main stumbling back is the ever underestimate power of incumbency and already sunk CapEx investments in sputtering lines</p><p>On the process, as shown below, the package is first pre-treated with plasma. The particle-free ink is then sprayed whilst the packages on the chuck are held at 160-200C. The elevated temperature results in rapid particle formation during the spray. Finally, after spraying, the inks are then cured for 20min@140-160C. There are relatively low curing temperature compared with other particle-free inks on the market.</p><p>With the first successful market reference using spraying, the market gates will open, lifting all ink-based techniques and making this a part of fast-growing electronic packaging industry</p><p>To learn more visit <a data-attribute-index="16" href="http://www.techblick.com/" target="_blank">www.TechBlick.com</a></p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1662557460062-1.png" style="width: 731px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1662557470443-2.png" style="width: 694px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1662557480442-3.png" style="width: 720px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1662557493832-4.png" style="width: 693px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1662557502370-5.png" style="width: 696px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1662557511188-6.png" style="width: 676px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1662557522502-Eindhoven+speakers.jpg" style="width: 722px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p>

Conformal EMI shielding is a megatrend on its way to become ubiquitous in electronics. The incumbent process is based on sputtering a tri-layer structure consisting of SUS on the EMC of the package. In these slides, you can see performance analysis and detailed cost analysis/projections.

Printed package-level shielding for 5G packages and beyond?

<p id="isPasted"><strong>Introduction</strong> The Internet of things (IoT) relies on continuous data collection from a network of sensors over time. Whilst some sensors can be wired, some must be remote from a power network and should be able gather and transmit their data wirelessly.&nbsp;</p><p>These wireless sensors need a reliable power source able to remain operational for extended periods of time, ideally for several years. Such a power source must be low-cost, compact, and able to fit into the form factor of the sensor. &nbsp;</p><p>Power sources for thin wireless IoT sensors are typically based on bulky and non-rechargeable batteries or energy harvesting systems relying on intermittent energy sources such as light, pressure variation, or temperature variation. &nbsp;</p><p>Rechargeable batteries combined with such an energy harvester would be very appealing in this context to compensate both the discharge of the battery over time and the irregular nature of the energy harvester. Printed batteries offer several advantages including mechanical flexibility, compact dimensions, and low production costs. &nbsp;</p><p>In the past, several companies have been producing and selling printed batteries, but no rechargeable printed battery solution has been commercialized until now. In this article, we present a novel printed battery solution that directly addresses this challenge. We will discuss its structure, function, specifications, and the multiple possible applications we foresee for rechargeable printed batteries.&nbsp;</p><figure><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="false" style="width: 678px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><a href="https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjYyNTU3MTY1MDg3LTE2NjI1NTcxNjUwODcucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="No alt text provided for this image" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><span class="fr-inner" contenteditable="true"></span></a><a href="https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped</a></span></span></figure><p>To learn more about all aspects of printed, flexible, large electronics join the global community in Eindhoven, Netherlands, on 12-13 OCTOBER 2022 to hear 45 world-class talks, visit 50 tabletop exhibitors, and network with 400+ peers from around world: <a href="https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped" target="_blank"><strong>https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped</strong></a></p><p><strong>Printed batteries</strong>&nbsp;</p><p>Printed electronics is an innovative production method offering numerous advantages. It is simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly. Components are printed using organic inks made from soluble polymers and particle dispersions. Printing processes such as inkjet or screen printing enable high-volume production at low costs. &nbsp;</p><p>Different materials such as metals, semiconductors, or dielectrics can be chosen and formulated as printable inks, enabling a variety of different functions to be achieved. These inks can be printed on a large scale, deposited on a variety of flexible or rigid substrates at relatively low temperatures, and subsequently integrated into many industrial or consumer products. Printed electronics is a technology ideally suited for the manufacturing of sensors on flexible substrates. This enables them to be used to great effect in situations lacking the space for conventional sensors.&nbsp;</p><p>The same printing technology can be applied for battery production. However, it has only recently become possible to print rechargeable batteries. This innovative printable battery technology was developed by Evonik in partnership with InnovationLab. The technology is called TAeTTOOz and has now been acquired by InnovationLab for upscaling and mass production.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>How it works</strong>&nbsp;</p><p>This state-of-the-art rechargeable printed battery technology is based on redox-active polymers and conventional printing methods can be used to produce thin, flexible batteries that can store electrical energy without requiring metals or metallic compounds in their storage system. Importantly, battery cells produced using TAeTTOOz technology do not require a liquid electrolyte to function, which inherently eliminates the risk of leakage and subsequent hazards.&nbsp;</p><p>In conventional Li-ion batteries (Figure 1, left), only the small Li+ cations move in and out of the electrodes on either side of the battery in a process known as &#39;intercalation&#39;. A polymer-based battery works differently (Figure 1, right). Here, both anions and cations move within the electrolyte during cycling.&nbsp;</p><figure><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjYyNTU3MTYxNjY2LTE2NjI1NTcxNjE2NjYucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt=" Figure 1: Comparison of the working principles of conventional Li-ion batteries (left) and TAeTTOOz batteries (right)." class="fr-fic fr-dii"></figure><p>Figure 1: Comparison of the working principles of conventional Li-ion batteries (left) and TAeTTOOz batteries (right).</p><p>The polymer battery technology relies on redox-active organic molecules (polymers) whose redox states can be reversibly changed during the charging and discharging phases. Essentially this means that the redox polymer can undergo both a loss of electrons (oxidation) and a gain of electrons (reduction), with both processes being reversible.</p><p>TAeTTOOz batteries have two polymer-based conductive materials that are used as cathode and anode inside the battery, and a third ionic material that functions as a solid-state electrolyte (Figure 2). The cathode and anode materials are optimized to chemically store electric charges supplied from an external power source. This is achieved by a change of their redox state under a given loading voltage during the charging process.&nbsp;</p><figure><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjYyNTU3MTYxNTA4LTE2NjI1NTcxNjE1MDgucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="Figure 2: Example of 3D structure of a printed rechargeable battery." class="fr-fic fr-dii"></figure><p>Figure 2: Example of 3D structure of a printed rechargeable battery.</p><p>When a discharge voltage is applied, the initial redox state is reversibly restored, and power can be drawn from the battery. The solid-state electrolyte ensures electrical charge compensation in the battery by means of ionic mobility.</p><p><strong>Production</strong></p><figure><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dii" style="width: 678px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjYyNTU3MTY1NDg4LTE2NjI1NTcxNjU0ODgucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="No alt text provided for this image" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><span class="fr-inner"><a href="https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped</a></span></span></span></figure><p>The inks are water-based and can be formulated to meet customers&#39; specific needs, and do not require the use of toxic or CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction) solvents. Due to the non-toxic nature of these organic inks, the printed products are compatible with common waste: Rechargeable batteries that are disposable!</p><p>To match specific printing needs, these inks are characterized in terms of their particle size, stability and rheology (i.e. flow characteristics). Combining these inks with printed conductive traces on a substrate allows both the batteries and the associated charging and discharging circuitry to be printed in a relatively small number of printing steps. Flexible substrates that can be used include foils made from polyimide (PI), polyesters (PET, PEN) or thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU).&nbsp;</p><p>Due to the interesting fact that the battery does not actually hold any voltage prior to its first charge, subsequent production processes such as picking and placing of components are possible without any risk of overvoltage damage. These batteries can be printed from &quot;start-to-finish&quot; on standard screen-printing presses either in a full roll-to-roll continuous production mode or in sheet-to-sheet mode. &nbsp;</p><p>The lateral dimensions of printed batteries typically range from 1 to 20 cm, and the overall thickness does not exceed 0.5 mm. These batteries can, of course, also be stacked, folded, or rolled to design 3D objects for integration into existing systems. &nbsp;</p><p>The use of universal printing techniques enables customized batteries in different sizes to be fabricated. The size of printed batteries can vary from a few cm&sup2; to several m&sup2; with certain performance limitations in the case of extreme sizes. &nbsp;</p><p><strong>Applications and customization&nbsp;</strong></p><p>One of the major applications for the TAeTTOOz battery technology is its combination with a sensor or sensor array coupled with one of various energy harvesting components to create a fully autonomous, self-powered unit for IoT applications. The same principle can be utilized in signage or other similar devices. &nbsp;</p><p>Several &#39;self-powered autonomous sensor unit&#39; projects are ongoing with our customers and partners, both from industry and academia, in which a printed rechargeable battery is combined with a temperature or moisture sensor is combined with a solar cell, a printed RF-harvesting antenna or a piezoelectric material. This technological concept has already been successfully applied and proven with the use of printed organic photovoltaic (OPV) solar cells.&nbsp;</p><p>The batteries technical specifications are defined by the chosen layout. Battery capacities from 0.1 to 0.2 mAh/cm&sup2; at an operating voltage of 1.2 V are typically achieved. The mentioned capacity and voltage determine the target applications. Obviously, they are too low to drive bright LEDs or heaters but optimal for low-power applications such as the powering of sensors in smart labels and patches.&nbsp;</p><p>Due to the screen-printing process, there is full freedom of cell design (Figure 3), with vertical or coplanar designs entirely possible. To achieve higher voltages, the printing technology enables several cells to be connected in series (Figure 3, right). For example, connecting two cells in series provides 2.4 V. The number of printing steps remains constant for a coplanar layout and increases in vertically stacked designs.</p><figure><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjYyNTU3MTYwNzUyLTE2NjI1NTcxNjA3NTIucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="Figure 3: Freedom of design offered by screen printing illustrated by a Peano fractal design (left), and a dual-cell battery design (right) in which two battery cells are connected in series." class="fr-fic fr-dii"></figure><p>Figure 3: Freedom of design offered by screen printing illustrated by a Peano fractal design (left), and a dual-cell battery design (right) in which two battery cells are connected in series.<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p><p><strong>Reliability and general characteristics</strong>&nbsp;</p><p>Until now, these batteries have been primarily used in demonstration setups and for R&amp;D purposes. The batteries have now been fully characterized in terms of their performance under various loading conditions, with self-discharge and cyclical measurements recorded. The achieved battery capacity is approaching the theoretical maximum achievable with the materials used &ndash; currently, it sits at about 70 % to 80 % with printed batteries.&nbsp;</p><p>The performance and reliability of printed batteries depends on a multitude of factors, including the printing geometry, the printing machine used, the resulting printed layer thickness and reliability, battery configuration, substrate, encapsulation, etc. &nbsp;</p><p>The cycling stability of the anode and cathode materials exceeds 500 cycles for above 80 % capacity retention, when used as individual materials in button cell batteries. Long term stability crucially depends on the utilized encapsulation technology. InnovationLab will be providing more information shortly, following the full completion of the technology transfer from Evonik.</p><p><strong>Conclusion&nbsp;</strong></p><p>Printed batteries are thin, lightweight, and flexible. They can provide a cost-effective solution for industrial wireless sensors and other IoT applications. The new TAeTTOOz technology enables flexible, rechargeable solid-state batteries to be printed on industrial scale, with Heidelberg Printed Electronics as InnovationLabs manufacturing partner. These printed batteries are also notably safer and environmentally friendlier than traditional metal-based batteries. &nbsp;</p><p>Soon, InnovationLab will supply both the printing materials and the know-how for the design, printing, and characterization of printed batteries. The company will also produce and sell its proprietary range of printed batteries to its customers, enabling the design-in and use of printed rechargeable batteries across industry.</p><p><strong>About us</strong></p><p>InnovationLab is the expert for printed and organic electronics with a focus on flexible printed pressure sensors. We provide tailored print solutions for our customers&#39; R&amp;D challenges. Our expertise relies on a solid understanding of materials, processes and printing technologies which are essential for the development of flexible and hybrid electronic systems. Together with our partners from academia and industry, such as BASF SE, SAP SE, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and Heidelberg University, we continuously expand our portfolio in printed electronics. Our cluster management team coordinates the agile community, consisting of partners on-site and in the extended network.</p><p>We offer services in the field of research &amp; development, pilot and industrial production as well as consulting and facility management. Here, the main focus is on accompanying customers from their first idea to the industrial production of their product - from LAB-2-FAB. We are able to take over at any stage of development and will lead our customers&#39; products to success in compliance with their individual needs.</p><p>For industrial production, we have a strong partner on our side in Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, which prints sensors in 3-shift operation at its production site</p><figure><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="false" style="width: 678px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><a href="https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjYyNTU3MTYzNTkwLTE2NjI1NTcxNjM1OTAucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="Conference: The Future of Electronics RESHAPED | October 2022" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><span class="fr-inner" contenteditable="true"></span></a><a href="https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped</a></span></span></figure>

https://www.innovationlab.de/en/printed-electronics/current/press-releases/first-fully-printed-rechargeable-batteries-for-flexible-printed-sensors/

This article describes the TAeTTOOz printable battery technology developed by Evonik and acquired by InnovationLab for upscaling and mass production. In this article, you can learn about the operating principles, the key working characteristics, the material set, production techniques, and emerging applications of this technology

How rechargable disposable thin printed batteries can be produced and used to reliability power IoT products?

<p>The first slide shows the battery gap- Ahmed has collected data by year showing that power demand of phones far exceeds the power supply level of batteries, creating a &quot;battery gap&quot; which widens each year as more power-hungry features are added whilst battery technologies imporves only incrementally. Some 70% of power consumption of a mobile phone or tablet is by the display, showing its outsize importance in shrinking this gap.<br id="isPasted"><br>The second slide shows the improvements in the efficiency (lm/W) of &#39;released&#39; OLED devices per year. The OLED efficiency has clearly plateaued in produced or released products. The backdot represents the projected potential of microLEDs, showing how the microLED technology can be a game changer.<br><br>The third slide shows that there is a gap between EQE of laboratory OLEDs and that of released products. The origins are not clear but likely involve trade-offs neccessary in production and trade-offs between lifetime stability and EQE.<br><br>The four side compares the efficiency of GaNw LEDs at various wavelenghts vs organic LEDs (from previous slides). It shows that GaN LEDs offer dramatically higher EQE levels compared to OLEDs at all wavelenghts except red. Indeed, there is a red efficiency gap in GaN microLED technology, the filling of which is the subject of intense global R&amp;D<br><br>This charts clearly demonstrate that while OLED technology seems to have plateaued and thus will not likely ever overcome the Battery Gap, the emerging microLED technology offers high promise to do us. Of course development and manufacturing of microLEDs involves other challenges such as rapid transfer as well as high-yield production which we will disucss elsewhere<br>To learn more about microLED technologies, join the world&#39;s first ever specialist technology on the topic. Check out the world-class agenda at www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs<br><br><a data-attribute-index="2" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=microled&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966071204499619841" target="_blank">#microled</a> <a data-attribute-index="3" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=miniled&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966071204499619841" target="_blank">#miniled</a> <a data-attribute-index="4" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=qd&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966071204499619841" target="_blank">#qd</a> <a data-attribute-index="5" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=quantumdot&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966071204499619841" target="_blank">#quantumdot</a> <a data-attribute-index="6" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=displaytechnology&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966071204499619841" target="_blank">#displaytechnology</a> <a data-attribute-index="7" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=displays&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966071204499619841" target="_blank">#displays</a> <a data-attribute-index="8" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=oled&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966071204499619841" target="_blank">#oled</a> <a data-attribute-index="9" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=gan&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966071204499619841" target="_blank">#GaN</a> <a data-attribute-index="10" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=led&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6966071204499619841" target="_blank">#led</a>&nbsp;</p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1662557033458-1.png" style="width: 687px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1662557044006-2.png" style="width: 690px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1662557052709-3.png" style="width: 658px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1662557064178-4.png" style="width: 729px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1662557072042-5.png" style="width: 715px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p>

Why can microLED technology can help narrow the energy gap in electronic devices? The first slide shows the battery gap- Ahmed (Intel) has collected data by year showing that power demand of phones far exceeds the power supply level of batteries, creating a "battery gap" which ...