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Planar and Three-Dimensional Printing of Conductive Inks

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Development of a Screen-Printable Liquid Metal Ink on PDMS Substrates Toward Flexible Conductive Electronics.

Mengwen Guo¹, Shengming Jin^1,2, Sanhu Liu³

¹School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China.

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)

|June 12, 2026

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This study developed a stable poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-modified liquid metal (LM) ink for screen printing on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The new ink offers improved adhesion, tunable viscosity, and robust electrical performance for flexible electronics.

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Polymer Science

Background:

Conventional liquid metal (LM) inks face challenges like instability, poor adhesion to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and limited rheological control for screen printing.
Developing stable and printable LM inks is crucial for advancing flexible conductive electronics.

Purpose of the Study:

To formulate a stable and screen-printable LM ink with enhanced properties for PDMS substrates.
To address the limitations of conventional LM inks, including poor wetting, adhesion, and rheological tunability.

Main Methods:

Formulation of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-modified LM particles in a mixed-solvent system (ethanol, 1,2-propanediol, DMF).
Controlled regulation of solvent evaporation during drying to tune wettability, viscosity, and film formation.

Keywords:

PDMS flexible conductive electronics liquid metal ink multi-solvent regulation screen printing

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Characterization of ink properties (contact angle, viscosity, shear-thinning) and printed pattern performance (electrical stability, mechanical durability).

Main Results:

Achieved significantly improved wettability on PDMS, reducing contact angle from 115° to 17.8° at a 20:1 LM:PVP ratio.
Developed ink with tunable viscosity (1000-3000 cP) and pronounced shear-thinning behavior suitable for screen printing.
Demonstrated stable electrical performance post-printing with <1% resistance drift after 14 days and <1% change after 3000 bending cycles or 1000 stretching cycles.

Conclusions:

The proposed LM:PVP ink and solvent system offer a viable strategy for reliable screen printing on PDMS.
This advancement facilitates the development of flexible conductive electronics with enhanced stability and mechanical robustness.
The study provides a materials and processing solution for overcoming key challenges in LM ink formulation for additive manufacturing.