Description
Low-Cost Method for Rapid Prototyping of High Resolution Printed Liquid-Metal Circuits and Devices
Case ID
20/0004
Background
Printed electronics have been used for a variety of flexible devices and circuits such as sensors, transistors, and electrodes. Many of these printed circuits and devices are implemented using conductive nanoparticle inks which suffer from cracks after cyclic deformation. Patterning liquid-metal (LM) circuits and devices is a promising alternative to nano-particle inks, however, printing LM requires expensive equipment to obtain high resolution feature below 50 µm.
Technology Overview
Researchers at the University of Hawai’i have developed a novel low-cost method to rapidly prototype liquid-metal printed patterns for flexible and stretchable electronics. The developed setup to rapidly prototyping high-resolution LM patterns costs about $2500. The finest obtained features with this setup was 35 µm while preserving the continuity and edge quality of the printed lines.
Figure 1 shows printed LM spirals and lines achieved by 2D printing LM on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates, the printing conditions (bed temperature, printing speed, fluid flow rate, nozzle diameter) were optimized to achieve 35 µm line width with 105 µm spacing between lines.
Figure 1
Features
Easy-to-use: Only require basic experience on using 3D printers
Economical: The entire setup costs about $2,500
Obtain high resolution conductive features: 35 µm with 105 µm spacing between lines
Electrical conductivity of LM: 2.3 × 106 S/m [1].
Compatible with flexible and stretchable substrates
Liquid metal has self-healing properties
Printed LM circuits can be recycled easily
Potential Benefits
The printing of LM is a rapid prototyping method that can create conductive patterns that are compatible with flexible and stretchable substrates, moreover, LM devices can have self-healing properties and can be recyclable. These features can be advantageous for wearable and disposable electronics.
IP Status
Utility patent application filed
Seeking
Development partner
Commercial partner
Licensing
University spin out
Investment
Key Words
Circuits prototyping
Flexible electronics
Liquid metal
Printed electronics
Rapid prototyping
Stretchable circuits
Wearable devices
1. Liu, T., Sen, P. & Kim, C. J. Characterization of nontoxic liquid-metal alloy galinstan for applications in microdevices. J. Microelectromechanical Syst. 21, 443–450 (2012).