Abstract
Abstract. Liquid-metal direct writing is a cost-effective and green technology, which is very promising for the customized fabrication of flexible circuits and functional devices. However, owing to the high surface tension of metal ink, the printed circuits are prone to intermittent outflow, large forming size error, and unstable forming. The smooth flowing and conveying of liquid-metal ink are still huge challenges that need significant attention. Herein, the force mechanism of liquid-metal ink transported by ball rotation and translation of the printing head was analysed, and the wetting characteristics of liquid metal on the surface of different substrates and its influence on forming morphology were investigated. The stable output printing of gallium indium alloy (GaIn24.5) liquid metal was realized. The changing characteristics of the shape and size of the liquid-metal circuits formed under different printing speeds and writing pressures were experimentally studied. The effective process window for obtaining the best circuit quality was established. Based on this, a flexible printed circuit board and functional electronic pattern were successfully printed under the writing pressure W=1 N and printing speed F800 mm min−1. The printed lines of GaIn24.5 exhibited a smooth surface, uniform width, small size error, and ability to connect electronic components and conduct electricity. This research proposes a new technical approach for customized printing of personalized electronic circuits and has important application prospects in the future.
Highlights
Flexible electronics is a new green electronic technology (Sahooa et al, 2020), wherein the organic or inorganic material electronic devices are connected with the printed circuit on a flexible, stretched, and thin plastic or metal substrate (Haining et al, 2020)
The research on the manufacturing technology of flexible electronics mainly focuses on the two aspects including preparation of conductive functional materials and the manufacture process of flexible circuit, at the global scale
In the preparation of flexible electronic conductive functional materials, the current research mainly focuses on the watersoluble conductive ink (Qin et al, 2017a), nano conductive silver pulp (Qin et al, 2017b), and liquid metal (Chang et al, 2018)
Summary
Flexible electronics is a new green electronic technology (Sahooa et al, 2020), wherein the organic or inorganic material electronic devices are connected with the printed circuit on a flexible, stretched, and thin plastic or metal substrate (Haining et al, 2020). The printed circuit can maintain stable performance for a long time Many technical bottlenecks, such as low conductivity of ink in traditional printing electronic technology, complex synthesis and preparation technology, and requirement of sintering, have been overcome by using liquid-metal ink. The direct-writing printing technology can directly print the liquid-metal circuit on the surface of various flexible matrix materials, and the function of electronic components connection and electricity conduction can be acquired. This method involves the characteristics of a simple process, cost effectiveness, and high efficiency, which are suitable for the rapid printing of personalized electronic circuits. This research proposes a new technical approach for customized printing of personalized electronic circuits and has important application prospects in the future
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