| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T23: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
2023 Undergraduate Student Poster Contest
|
| Presentation Title |
Optimization of Diluted Silver Nanoparticle Ink for Aerosol Jet Printing |
| Author(s) |
Caroline Kromalic, Sylvie Crowell, Mitchell Melander, James Wolfe, Janet L. Gbur |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Caroline Kromalic |
| Abstract Scope |
Signal conduction for nerve stimulation relies on stranded, insulated wires that can be stiff and negatively impact local tissue. Flexible electronics may provide less stiffness than the wires and minimize device/tissue modulus mismatches. Flexible electronics can provide the conductivity of a wire-based system by aerosol jet printing (AJP) conductive metal ink onto a flexible substrate. Silver nanoparticle ink is used for its high conductivity and low cost but may require a co-solvent to decrease print dryness. To determine the optimal dilution, silver traces were printed with varying ratios of ink to co-solvent. Traces were characterized using electrical measurements, profilometry, and qualitative analysis to determine which dilution produced the lowest resistivity with high deposition. Results showed that ratios of 1:1 and 1:1.25 ink to solvent had the lowest average resistivities and decreased trace dryness. This work supports the development of an AJP flexible electronic to replace implantable wires for nerve stimulation. |