A Low-Temperature Printing Technology for Fabricating Electrically Conductive Structures and Devices Using Plasma-Activated Stabilizer-Free Inks

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Sui, Yongkun
Language:English
Published: Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1562589709669126
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spelling ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-case15625897096691262021-08-03T07:11:43Z A Low-Temperature Printing Technology for Fabricating Electrically Conductive Structures and Devices Using Plasma-Activated Stabilizer-Free Inks Sui, Yongkun Electrical Engineering Chemical Engineering Plasma Physics Inkjet printing Conductive materials print metals print RGO inorganic metal salt based inks Inkjet printing is rapidly emerging as a means to fabricate low cost electronic devices; however, widespread adoption is hindered because the technology is currently limited to a few metals and substrates due to the complexity of the inks and the relatively high processing temperatures associated with post-deposition sintering. In this dissertation, a new approach for inkjet printing based on off-the-shelf, particle-free inks formulated from inorganic metal salts and their subsequent low-temperature conversion to metallic structures by a non-equilibrium, inert gas plasma is described. This single, general method is demonstrated for a library of metals including gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), lead (Pb), bismuth (Bi), and tin (Sn). These metals were printed and plasma activated at substrate temperatures between 77°C and 138°C, depending on their reduction potential. This low activation temperature enables printing on substrate materials with low glass transition temperatures, such as polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polycarbonate (PC) to name a few. The resistivities of the inkjet-printed and converted metals were measured to be between 2X and 10X of the respective bulk metals. Uniquely, the metal films were found to exhibit a very large surface area because of the plasma-initiated nucleation and growth process, making the printing technique attractive for sensor device applications. To demonstrate the utility of the printing technique developed in this dissertation, a number of sensors including a Bi-based trace Pb ion sensor, a Au-based amyloid-β sensor, a Au-based strain gauge, and a Ag-based thermistor were fabricated as representative chemical, biological, mechanical, and thermal sensors. Due to the large effective surface area and low resistivity of the printed metals, the inkjet-printed sensors exhibit enhanced sensitivity compared to analogues made by conventional methods. In addition to metallic conductive materials, the low-temperature plasma activation method can also be applied to printing nonmetallic, conductive materials such as reduced graphene oxide (RGO). Electrically conductive, mechanically flexible, and chemically reactive RGO was produced with characteristics comparable to RGO produced by thermal and electrochemical reduction. A hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) sensor was fabricated to show the application of printed RGO. 2019-08-28 English text Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1562589709669126 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1562589709669126 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection NDLTD
language English
sources NDLTD
topic Electrical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Plasma Physics
Inkjet printing
Conductive materials
print metals
print RGO
inorganic metal salt based inks
spellingShingle Electrical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Plasma Physics
Inkjet printing
Conductive materials
print metals
print RGO
inorganic metal salt based inks
Sui, Yongkun
A Low-Temperature Printing Technology for Fabricating Electrically Conductive Structures and Devices Using Plasma-Activated Stabilizer-Free Inks
author Sui, Yongkun
author_facet Sui, Yongkun
author_sort Sui, Yongkun
title A Low-Temperature Printing Technology for Fabricating Electrically Conductive Structures and Devices Using Plasma-Activated Stabilizer-Free Inks
title_short A Low-Temperature Printing Technology for Fabricating Electrically Conductive Structures and Devices Using Plasma-Activated Stabilizer-Free Inks
title_full A Low-Temperature Printing Technology for Fabricating Electrically Conductive Structures and Devices Using Plasma-Activated Stabilizer-Free Inks
title_fullStr A Low-Temperature Printing Technology for Fabricating Electrically Conductive Structures and Devices Using Plasma-Activated Stabilizer-Free Inks
title_full_unstemmed A Low-Temperature Printing Technology for Fabricating Electrically Conductive Structures and Devices Using Plasma-Activated Stabilizer-Free Inks
title_sort low-temperature printing technology for fabricating electrically conductive structures and devices using plasma-activated stabilizer-free inks
publisher Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK
publishDate 2019
url http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1562589709669126
work_keys_str_mv AT suiyongkun alowtemperatureprintingtechnologyforfabricatingelectricallyconductivestructuresanddevicesusingplasmaactivatedstabilizerfreeinks
AT suiyongkun lowtemperatureprintingtechnologyforfabricatingelectricallyconductivestructuresanddevicesusingplasmaactivatedstabilizerfreeinks
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