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The Influence of Microstructure on TCR for Inkjet-Printed Resistive Temperature Detectors Fabricated Using

Aziz Radwan¹, Yongkun Sui², Christian Zorman¹

¹Department of Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.

|June 27, 2024

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Inkjet-printed silver sensors show that ink solvent significantly impacts microstructure and performance. Denser structures from monoethylene glycol (mono-EG) yield higher temperature coefficients of resistance (TCR) for resistive temperature detectors (RTDs).

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Sensor Technology

Background:

Inkjet printing offers a versatile method for fabricating electronic components, including resistive temperature detectors (RTDs).
The performance of printed sensors is highly dependent on the ink formulation and post-processing treatments, which influence material microstructure.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how different ethylene glycol solvents (mono-, di-, and tri-EG) in silver nitrate-based inks affect the microstructure of inkjet-printed RTDs.
To evaluate the influence of ink-derived microstructure on the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and sensitivity of these RTDs.
To assess the effect of low-pressure argon (Ar) plasma treatment on the performance of the printed RTDs.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of silver (Ag) RTDs using particle-free inks with varying ethylene glycol solvents (mono-EG, di-EG, tri-EG).

Keywords:

ethylene glycol flexible sensors inkjet printing plasma reduction printed sensors resistance temperature detector silver ink silver nitrate temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR)

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Microstructural analysis using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to characterize printed films.

Performance evaluation of RTDs, including measurements of TCR and sensitivity, with and without Ar plasma treatment.

Main Results:

SEM confirmed that mono-EG inks produce dense microstructures, while di-EG and tri-EG inks result in increasingly porous structures.
RTDs printed with mono-EG ink exhibited the highest TCR (1.7 × 10^-3/°C), significantly higher than those from di-EG (8.2 × 10^-4/°C) and tri-EG (7.2 × 10^-4/°C) inks.
Porosity strongly negatively influences TCR, while sensitivity is more dependent on RTD resistance than microstructure.

Conclusions:

The choice of ethylene glycol solvent is critical for controlling the microstructure and optimizing the TCR of inkjet-printed silver RTDs.
Denser microstructures, achieved with mono-EG, are essential for high TCR performance in these sensors.
While Ar plasma treatment was applied, the primary performance drivers identified were ink solvent choice and resulting microstructure.