Most current electronics manufacturing technologies utilise subtractive processing that is expensive, wasteful and energy intensive. Printed electronics is revolutionising the electronics industry by enabling additive processing that significantly reduces expense, waste and energy consumption. The EU-funded PLASMAS project demonstrates the capability of printed electronics based on novel nanoparticle Cu inks with favourable cost to performance ratios, through development of large area printed circuit boards and printed logic as well as OLED and OPV elements with printed Cu nanoparticle electrodes. However, a number of challenges need to be overcome when printing these metal nanoparticle inks – the typical feature height of printed structures of several 100 nm tend to exhibit a rough surface, which can lead to shorts in the device after subsequent overcoating of the organic active layer materials. Furthermore, the sintering temperature of the nanoparticle inks needs to be low (< 130 °C) in order to allow deposition and curing on transparent flexible substrates such as PET. We therefore present the process development of solution-processed electrodes based on inkjet-printed Cu grids, by embedding the inkjet-printed metal grids to yield ITO-free optoelectronic devices. Secondly, we present roll-to-roll inkjet-printed RFID antennas based on Cu inks. Finally, we demonstrate a truly low-temperature sintering route for a Cu nanoparticle ink by using a reducing atmosphere of formic acid, yielding stable highly conducting layers. The results of the project highlight overall parameters for solution processing and implementation of novel metal nanoparticle materials and architectures in printed electronics.
We report on the grid design requirements and inkjet-printing processing conditions of well-defined silver nanoparticles combined with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxylthiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) PEDOT:PSS as indium tin oxide (ITO) replacement for ITO-free organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). Solution-processed ITO-free OLEDs based on the 5BTF8 blend of poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole (F8BT) and poly(9,9-di-n-octylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl) (PFO) light-emitting layers, processed in ambient conditions, showed comparable luminance efficiency and power efficiency values to reference devices based on ITO and near identical efficiencies at low luminance values.
Composites comprising biobased poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and polyethylene (Bio-PE) were reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). These nanocomposites were analyzed using space-resolved thermal analysis (TA) integrated with atomic force microscopy. The deflection temperature, which indicates thermal-induced expansion and thermal transitions of the composite, was monitored by nanoscale TA (nanoTA) utilizing the displacement of a cantilever in contact with the material. Results were compared to bulk electrical, mechanical and thermal properties. Electrical conductivity was detected at lower MWCNT loadings for PLA than for Bio-PE (at 2.5 vs. 5 mass%). Maximal electrical conductivity of 27 S m−1 for PLA and 0.7 S m−1 for Bio-PE-based samples was reached at 10 mass% MWCNT loading. Tensile behavior combined with thermogravimetric analysis indicated strong MWCNT–Bio-PE interactions, in contrast to PLA. The glass transition and melting temperature measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were not changed by the increase in MWCNT loading. Increased deflection temperature was registered by bulk heat deflection measurements on Bio-PE, but not for PLA. The thermal transitions obtained by nanoTA at the nanoscale were in the same temperature range as the first transitions observed upon temperature ramp in DSC (e.g., glass transition and melt temperatures of PLA and Bio-PE, respectively). Remarkably, thermal expansion was detected by nanoTA for PLA- and Bio-PE-based composites below electrical percolation threshold as well as an increase in PLA softening temperature. Space-resolved nanothermal analysis revealed thermal phenomena that are otherwise overlooked when bulk methods are applied.
