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ELECTRIC circuits and interconnects may now be drawn directly on paper and other surfaces, with a new rollerball pen which uses conductive silver ink.
Engineers from the University of Illinois say the silver-inked rollerball pen can lay out circuits and interconnects on paper, wood, and other surfaces, eliminating the use of wires and soldering irons.
Jennifer Lewis, the Hans Thurnauer professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois, says pen-based printing allows one to construct electronic devices ‘on-the-fly.’
“This is an important step toward enabling desktop manufacturing (or personal fabrication) using very low cost, ubiquitous printing tools,” Lewis said.
The ink is a solution of real silver. After writing, the liquid in the ink dries to leave conductive silver pathways. Like normal writing, the ink maintains its integrity even when the material it is on is bent and folded, effectively enabling flexible electronics.
Metallic inks have been used in approaches using inkjet printers to fabricate electronic devices, but the pen offers freedom and flexibility to apply ink directly to paper or other rough surfaces instantly, at low cost and without programming.
The ability to create freestyle conductive pathways enables new possibilities in art, disposable electronics and folded three-dimensional devices. For example, the pen has been used to sketch an artwork with a five-volt battery connected to an LED on the canvas.
The researchers also have demonstrated a flexible LED display on paper, conductive text and three-dimensional radio-frequency antennas.
Next, the researchers plan to expand the palette of inks to enable pen-on-paper writing of other electronic and ionically conductive materials.