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Inkjet Printable Polydimethylsiloxane for All-Inkjet-Printed Multilayered Soft Electrical Applications
Riikka Mikkonen1, Paula Puistola1, Ilari Jönkkäri2
1Unit of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University, Korkeakoulunkatu 7, 33720 Tampere, Finland.
Researchers developed a digital printing method for creating multilayered soft electronics using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). This technique enables the fabrication of complex silicone rubber-based devices with conductive silver nanoparticle layers and insulating PDMS for advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) additive manufacturing is crucial for soft electronics.
- Complex soft electronic devices require multilayered structures for advanced functionality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a straightforward digital printing fabrication process for silicone rubber-based, multilayered electronics.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of inkjet printing for creating complex elastomeric electronic devices.
Main Methods:
- Developed an inkjet-printable PDMS solution for digital patterning of elastomeric structures.
- Utilized the PDMS ink with silver nanoparticle (Ag NP) ink for fabricating all-inkjet-printed multilayered electrical devices.
- Incorporated selective printing of a dielectric PDMS layer for electrical insulation between conductive layers.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated multilayered silicone rubber-based electrical devices using digital printing.
- Achieved low sheet resistances below 0.3 Ω/□ for conductive layers.
- Maintained a conductive layer thickness of less than 1 μm.
- Demonstrated effective electrical insulation using a 20-25 μm-thick dielectric PDMS layer.
Conclusions:
- The proposed digital printing process offers a viable method for fabricating complex, multilayered soft electronics.
- This technique allows for precise patterning of both conductive and dielectric silicone rubber components.
- The developed process holds promise for the advancement of soft electronic device manufacturing.
