Additive electronics manufacturing via droplet jetting technologies: materials, methods, applications, and...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Droplet jetting technologies provide a digital, additive, and noncontact approach for fabricating functional devices using nanomaterials.
• Inkjet, aerosol jet, and electrohydrodynamic jet printing are key methods, each with unique mechanisms, advantages, and disadvantages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a holistic assessment of nanomaterial integration with droplet jetting printing technologies.
• To highlight recent progress in ink formulation, process design, and application development.
• To emphasize emerging materials and practical applications in this research area.

Main Methods:

• Overview of three distinct droplet jetting printing technologies (inkjet, aerosol jet, electrohydrodynamic jet).
• Survey of ink formulation and printing strategies for conductive, insulating, and semiconducting nanomaterials.
• Examination of application demonstrations in electronics, sensing, and energy.

Main Results:

• Progress in nanomaterial integration across various droplet jetting techniques.
• Successful application demonstrations in functional electronic, sensing, and energy devices.
• Identification of key emerging themes including AI, multimaterial printing, and nonplanar patterning.

Conclusions:

• Droplet jetting offers a versatile platform for fabricating advanced nanomaterial-based devices.
• Continued research in ink formulation and process optimization is crucial for expanding applications.
• Emerging trends like AI and multimaterial printing promise further innovation in the field.