Printed Electronics
Printed electronics refers to devices that have been manufactured partially or completely by printing techniques. Instead of standard printing colors these processes require inks or pastes that contain functional materials. Besides organic semiconductors nanoscale inorganic functional materials gained more and more importance over the past years
Stable dispersions of these nanomaterials are required for most processes in order to apply them to printable inks. This prevents the particles from agglomeration and potential blocking of the fine channels that are used in e.g. ink jet printing techniques.
In particular nano metals and nano structured inorganic semiconductors are interesting materials in printed electronics since the sintering temperature decreases with decreasing size of the particles which leads to lower energy consumption in production processes in which the nano particles combine to form conducting paths.
Potential areas of application are among others:
- Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)
- Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
- Photovoltaics
As previously mentioned, one requirement is the formation of long term stable dispersions of nano particles, which are typically defined by their
- different chemical composition
- shape
- size and
- size distribution.
As a consequence it is necessary to identify particle specific dispersing additives.
IOLITEC offers customer specific solutions in the field of printable electronics and electronically conductive inks (IOLITEC offers in general dispersion solutions for all commercially available nanomaterials).
Additional information can be found here:
http://iolitec.de/en/technology/other-applications-electrolytes
Text: Dr. Thomas J. S. Schubert, IOLITEC GmbH, 2011 (German Version; English Translation: Dr. Tom Beyersdorff, IOLITEC Inc.).