Home › Cell Biology › Planar and Three-Dimensional Printing of Conductive Inks
Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Planar and Three-Dimensional Printing of Conductive Inks

DOI: 10.3791/3189-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Prepare highly concentrated silver nanoparticle inks for printing applications
  • ✓ Apply direct-write assembly techniques to pattern conductive materials
  • ✓ Design printed electronic devices using planar and 3D printing methods
  • ✓ Evaluate applications of printed metallic inks in biomedical and optoelectronic devices
Protocol

Planar and three-dimensional printing of conductive metallic inks is described. Our approach provides new avenues for fabricating printed electronic, optoelectronic, and biomedical devices in unusual layouts at the microscale.

Difficulty
intermediate
Total time
~4–8 hours per complete fabrication cycle (ink preparation + printing + curing)

Steps

1
Prepare highly concentrated silver nanoparticle inks

Synthesize or process silver nanoparticles to achieve high concentration suitable for direct-write printing. Optimize ink viscosity and particle suspension stability for reliable deposition.

▶ 01:41
2
Perform direct-write assembly of conductive patterns

Use direct-write printing techniques to deposit silver nanoparticle ink onto substrates in planar and three-dimensional configurations. Control print geometry and resolution at the microscale.

▶ 05:27
3
Demonstrate example prints with functional applications

Fabricate representative printed electronic, optoelectronic, or biomedical devices. Characterize printed structures and validate device functionality in intended applications.

▶ 07:28
💬 Comments coming soon