Dry Printing and Additive Nanomanufacturing of Flexible Hybrid Electronics and Sensors

The growing demand for flexible and wearable hybrid electronics has triggered the need for advanced manufacturing techniques with versatile printing capabilities. Complex ink formulations, use of surfactants/contaminants, limited source materials, and the need for high-temperature heat treatments for sintering are major issues facing the current inkjet and aerosol printing methods. Here, the nanomanufacturing of flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) by dry printing silver and indium tin oxide on flexible substrates using a novel laser-based additive nanomanufacturing process is reported. The electrical resistance of the printed lines is tailored during the print process by tuning the geometry and structure of the printed samples. Different FHE designs are fabricated and tested to check the performance of the devices. Mechanical reliability tests including cycling, bending, and stretching confirm the expected performance of the printed samples under different strain levels. This transformative liquid-free process allows the on-demand formation and in situ laser crystallization of nanoparticles for printing pure materials for future flexible and wearable electronics and sensors.