Inkjet Printing of Electrodes on Electrospun Micro- and Nanofiber Hydrophobic Membranes for Flexible and Smart Textile Applications

Abstract

With the increasing demand for smart textile and sensor applications, the interest in printed electronics is rising. In this study, we explore the applicability of electrospun membranes, characterized by high porosity and hydrophobicity, as potential substrates for printed electronics. The two most common inks, silver and carbon, were used in inkjet printing to create a conductive paths on electrospun membranes. As substrates, we selected hydrophobic polymers, such as polyimide (PI), low- and high-molecular-weight poly (vinyl butyral-co-vinyl alcohol-co-vinyl acetate) (PVB) and polystyrene (PS). Electrospinning of PI and PVB resulted in nanofibers in the range of 300–500 nm and PVB and PS microfibers (1–5 μm). The printed patterns were investigated with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and resistance measurements. To verify the biocompatibility of printed electrodes on the membranes, an indirect cytotoxicity test with cells (MG-63) was performed. In this research, we demonstrated good printability of silver and carbon inks on flexible PI, PVB and PS electrospun membranes, leading to electrodes with excellent conductivity. The cytotoxicity study indicated the possibility of using manufactured printed electronics for various sensors and also as topical wearable devices.

Interfacial Engineering of PVDF‐TrFE toward Higher Piezoelectric, Ferroelectric, and Dielectric Performance for Sensing and Energy Harvesting Applications

“…The electrodes were painted on both sides of the film using silver nanoparticle inks (JS‐A211, Novacentrix, USA) with the area of 1 × 1 cm 2 followed by overnight thermal annealing at 80 °C in a vacuum oven. [ 44 ] Then the wires were integrated to the nanocomposite film and encapsulated using Kapton tape. The film was poled at 1,500 kV cm −1 using TF1000 (aixACCT, Germany) equipped with a TFSHU thin film sample holder (aixACCT, Germany).…”

Recent advances in photoresponsive printing inks for security encoding applications

“…While the aforementioned techniques work well with metal and polymeric materials, the 3D inkjet printing approach is also useful with ceramic and glass [25]. Inkjet printing has recently gained popularity due to its waste-free capacity to deposit solution and suspension inks onto surfaces, allowing for the printing of highly detailed patterns with excellent resolutions.…”

“…Based on the printer design and printing mechanism, this technology can be categorized into four distinct methods, including electrostatic, piezoelectric, thermal, and three‐dimensional inkjet. While the aforementioned techniques work well with metal and polymeric materials, the 3D inkjet printing approach is also useful with ceramic and glass [25]. Inkjet printing has recently gained popularity due to its waste‐free capacity to deposit solution and suspension inks onto surfaces, allowing for the printing of highly detailed patterns with excellent resolutions.…”

Bridging barriers: advances and challenges in modeling biological barriers and measuring barrier integrity in organ-on-chip systems

“…Flexible electrodes can also be fabricated on substrates that emulate other microenvironmental features like the topography and mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix. For example, Krysiak et al incorporated inkjet-printed electrodes into a variety of electrospun micro- and nano-fibrous membranes, 279 and Tringides et al developed a platform that combines graphene flakes and carbon nanotubes with an alginate-based hydrogel to create viscoelastic electrodes that mimic the biomechanical properties of soft tissues like the brain. 280…”