---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Eugen Leitl <eugen@leitl.org>
Date: Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 6:47 AM
Subject: [Open Manufacturing] Researchers create rollerball-pen ink to draw circuits
To: openmanufacturing@googlegroups.com
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-06-rollerball-pen-ink-circuits.html
Researchers create rollerball-pen ink to draw circuits
June 28, 2011 by Bob Yirka report
University professors create rollerball-pen ink to draw circuits
Image: Wiley
(PhysOrg.com) -- Two professors from the University of Illinois; one
specializing in materials science, the other in electrical engineering, have
combined their talents to take the idea of printing circuits onto
non-standard materials one step further by developing a conductive ink that
can be used in a traditional rollerball ink pen to draw circuits by hand onto
paper and other porous materials. In their paper published in Advanced
Materials, team leads Jennifer Lewis, Jennifer Bernhard and colleagues
describe how they were able to make a type of ink from silver nanoparticles
that would remain a liquid while in the pen, but would dry like regular ink
once applied. The pen could was then used to draw a functioning LCD display
and an antenna.
To make the ink, the team produced silver nanoparticles by reducing a silver
nitrate solution along with an acid to prevent the particles from growing too
large. Afterwards the acid was removed and the viscosity of the ink modified
using hydroxyethyl cellulose to get just the right consistency. The result is
a sort of liquid metal that dries on contact and which can be used to conduct
electricity, hence its ability to be used in the creation of a circuit.
Silver pen has the write stuff for flexible electronics
University of Illinois engineers developed a pen with conductive silver ink
that can write electric circuits and interconnects directly on paper and
other surfaces. Credit: Bok Yeop Ahn Up till now, most research on printing
circuits onto non-standard materials, such as paper, have been done using
inkjet printers or even airbrushes. This new approach would allow circuits to
be drawn quicker and much cheaper, or even on-the-fly, as no other hardware
is needed. Such a low cost device might create a market for throwaway
circuits or even super cheap batteries. Paper was used in the study because
it is considered to be the most suitable non-standard material for printing
circuits due to its wide availability, low cost, ability to be bent and
shaped, and the fact that it is biodegradable.
Lewis noted that the paper used in study was folded after testing to see how
the circuit would hold up, and discovered it took folding several thousand
times before the ink pathways were broken. She also noted that other
materials besides paper could be used, such as wood or ceramics.
Silver pen has the write stuff for flexible electronics
This is a flexible array of LEDs mounted on paper. Hand-drawn silver ink
lines form the interconnects between the LEDs. Credit: Bok Yeop Ahn The team
next plans to look into other types of materials that might be used to make
conductive ink for their pen, hoping to open up the door to all kinds of inks
that can be used for a wide variety of purposes.
More information: Pen-on-Paper Flexible Electronics, Advanced Materials,
Article first published online: 20 JUN 2011. DOI:10.1002/adma.201101328
Abstract
Pen-on-paper flexible electronics are fabricated using a conductive silver
ink-filled rollerball pen. This approach provides a low-cost, portable route
for fabricating conductive text, electronic art, interconnects for light
emitting diode (LED) arrays, and three-dimensional (3D) antennas on paper.
--
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From: Eugen Leitl <eugen@leitl.org>
Date: Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 6:47 AM
Subject: [Open Manufacturing] Researchers create rollerball-pen ink to draw circuits
To: openmanufacturing@googlegroups.com
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-06-rollerball-pen-ink-circuits.html
Researchers create rollerball-pen ink to draw circuits
June 28, 2011 by Bob Yirka report
University professors create rollerball-pen ink to draw circuits
Image: Wiley
(PhysOrg.com) -- Two professors from the University of Illinois; one
specializing in materials science, the other in electrical engineering, have
combined their talents to take the idea of printing circuits onto
non-standard materials one step further by developing a conductive ink that
can be used in a traditional rollerball ink pen to draw circuits by hand onto
paper and other porous materials. In their paper published in Advanced
Materials, team leads Jennifer Lewis, Jennifer Bernhard and colleagues
describe how they were able to make a type of ink from silver nanoparticles
that would remain a liquid while in the pen, but would dry like regular ink
once applied. The pen could was then used to draw a functioning LCD display
and an antenna.
To make the ink, the team produced silver nanoparticles by reducing a silver
nitrate solution along with an acid to prevent the particles from growing too
large. Afterwards the acid was removed and the viscosity of the ink modified
using hydroxyethyl cellulose to get just the right consistency. The result is
a sort of liquid metal that dries on contact and which can be used to conduct
electricity, hence its ability to be used in the creation of a circuit.
Silver pen has the write stuff for flexible electronics
University of Illinois engineers developed a pen with conductive silver ink
that can write electric circuits and interconnects directly on paper and
other surfaces. Credit: Bok Yeop Ahn Up till now, most research on printing
circuits onto non-standard materials, such as paper, have been done using
inkjet printers or even airbrushes. This new approach would allow circuits to
be drawn quicker and much cheaper, or even on-the-fly, as no other hardware
is needed. Such a low cost device might create a market for throwaway
circuits or even super cheap batteries. Paper was used in the study because
it is considered to be the most suitable non-standard material for printing
circuits due to its wide availability, low cost, ability to be bent and
shaped, and the fact that it is biodegradable.
Lewis noted that the paper used in study was folded after testing to see how
the circuit would hold up, and discovered it took folding several thousand
times before the ink pathways were broken. She also noted that other
materials besides paper could be used, such as wood or ceramics.
Silver pen has the write stuff for flexible electronics
This is a flexible array of LEDs mounted on paper. Hand-drawn silver ink
lines form the interconnects between the LEDs. Credit: Bok Yeop Ahn The team
next plans to look into other types of materials that might be used to make
conductive ink for their pen, hoping to open up the door to all kinds of inks
that can be used for a wide variety of purposes.
More information: Pen-on-Paper Flexible Electronics, Advanced Materials,
Article first published online: 20 JUN 2011. DOI:10.1002/adma.201101328
Abstract
Pen-on-paper flexible electronics are fabricated using a conductive silver
ink-filled rollerball pen. This approach provides a low-cost, portable route
for fabricating conductive text, electronic art, interconnects for light
emitting diode (LED) arrays, and three-dimensional (3D) antennas on paper.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Open Manufacturing" group.
To post to this group, send email to openmanufacturing@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to openmanufacturing+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/openmanufacturing?hl=en.
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