Inkjet Printing of Bioresorbable Materials for Manufacturing Transient Microelectronic Devices

Abstract

Herein, the inkjet printing of bioresorbable materials tuned to function as electrode, dielectric, and semiconductor layers is reported, thereby developing multilayered microelectronic devices such as capacitors and thin‐film transistors, potentially applicable to address specific medical needs. Polymers and natural materials, e.g., poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐poly(styrenesulfonate), shellac, and β‐carotene, indigo inks are implemented using jettable formulations, that are either commercially procured or self‐formulated, designed explicitly to deposit fundamental layers for capacitors and transistors. Several parameters are evaluated and adjusted to precisely define a layer's thickness, topology, and geometry, matching with the properties of a fully biodegradable Ormocere substrate, explicitly developed for the specific biological applications. Furthermore, these parameters support in acquiring the intended electrical properties of layers, i.e., conductivity, insulation, semiconductivity, capacitance, and current versus voltage characteristics. The entire manufacturing process of devices is accomplished on the Ormocere substrate under ambient conditions and below 60 °C. The results exhibit that the electrical characteristics of the printed functional layers and devices show direct influence to the physical geometry of the printed features. A fully printed capacitor demonstrates capacitance of 1 nF cm−2, whereas transistors show p‐type and n‐type characteristics with current 0.18–5 μA and mobility 6 × 10−4–7 × 10−2 cm2 V−1 s−1.

Biodegradable Implantable Sensors: Materials Design, Fabrication, and Applications

“…[107] Especially using inks made of metal particles and polymers enable printing of flexible microelectronics with microscale accuracy and industry relevant up-scalability. [117] Inkjet printing with biodegradable materials was used for transient microelectronic devices that have conductor, dielectric, and semiconductor functional layers. [117] One issue with inkjet printing is the low stability of metallic inks, which can be addressed by using biodegradable polymers with metallic particles in the inks.…”

“…[117] Inkjet printing with biodegradable materials was used for transient microelectronic devices that have conductor, dielectric, and semiconductor functional layers. [117] One issue with inkjet printing is the low stability of metallic inks, which can be addressed by using biodegradable polymers with metallic particles in the inks. [118]…”

Green Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Organic Transistors

“…With the development of additive manufacturing, various digital printing techniques with continuous manufacturing capabilities have been widely investigated. These digital printing techniques, such as inkjet printing, [217,218] aerosol jet printing, [219] and electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing, [220] employ the movement of motorized stages for patterning. They are mask-less, drop-on-demand processes with high fabrication speed and minimized material waste.…”

Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles with a Cohesion Enhancer for Robust Flexible Electrodes

“…There is a strong demand for conductive inks to enable the additive manufacturing of a new generation of functional electronics, including printed and flexible electronics, wearable and healthcare electronics, and consumer electronics. − Various types of conductive inks have been developed, including those containing metals (e.g., silver, , gold, − copper, , and so forth), carbon allotropes (e.g., graphene, , CNT, , and so forth), and conductive polymers (e.g., PEDOT:PSS). , Of particular interest are conductive inks based on metal nanoparticles (NPs), which can be sintered at a lower temperature compared to that of the corresponding bulk metal due to the high surface area to volume ratio, and they exhibit relatively high electrical conductivities …”