Inkjet Printing of Structurally Colored Self-Assembled Colloidal Aggregates

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Optics

Background:

• Structurally colored materials provide superior stability and biocompatibility compared to chemical pigments.
• Current applications require compartmentalizing these materials into small building blocks (under 5 μm) for use in ready-to-use inks.
• Photonic balls (PB), which are spherical nanoparticle aggregates, offer a potential solution for creating such inks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the feasibility of using photonic ball dispersions as inkjet printing inks.
• To develop a method for manufacturing structurally colored inks suitable for printing.
• To enhance the color purity and printing quality of structurally colored materials.

Main Methods:

• Manufacture of structurally colored photonic balls using solvent drying techniques.
• Dispersion of photonic balls in pentanol to create printable ink.
• Utilizing a custom inkjet printing platform with an industrial printhead and recirculation system.
• Incorporation of carbon black to absorb light and suppress multiple scattering.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of photonic ball dispersions suitable for inkjet printing.
• Demonstration of printing complex, structurally colored patterns using photonic ball inks.
• Improved color purity and reduced scattering achieved by adding carbon black.

Conclusions:

• Photonic ball dispersions represent a viable and novel approach for creating ready-to-use inks for structurally colored materials.
• Inkjet printing of photonic balls enables the fabrication of intricate, stable, and vibrant color patterns.
• The addition of light absorbers like carbon black is effective in enhancing color quality in printed applications.