Printed Electronics and Additive Manufacturing: Functional Materials, Processing Techniques, and Emerging Applications: Session I
Sponsored by: TMS Functional Materials Division, TMS: Thin Films and Interfaces Committee
Program Organizers: Tolga Aytug, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Pooran Joshi, Elbit Systems of America; Rahul Panat, Carnegie Mellon University; Yong Lin Kong, University of Utah; Konstantinos Sierros, West Virginia University; Changyong Cao, Case Western Reserve University ; Dave Estrada, Boise State University; Ravindra Nuggehalli, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Monday 8:30 AM
March 20, 2023
Room: Sapphire 411B
Location: Hilton
Session Chair: Paul Ohodnicki, University of Pittsburgh; Masoud Mahjouri-Samani, Auburn University; Christine Fisher, City University of New York
8:30 AM Invited
Functional Sensing Material Enabled Fiber Optic Sensors for Electric Grid Assets: Paul Ohodnicki1; Yang-Duan Su1; Dolendra Karki1; 1University of Pittsburgh
Costly and complex sensor system configuration has been a challenge in electrical asset monitoring. Fiber optic sensors are of particular interest due to their inherent advantages relative to alternative electrical based sensing platforms, but cost has historically limited them to commercial adoption in only the most critical electric grid assets such as large power transformers and transmission line monitoring. Integration of engineered functional sensing materials can enable dramatic simplification while retaining adequate sensing capability, as required to bring the cost of fiber optic sensors to a cost in which they are commercially viable even for distribution assets. An overview of some recent progress and advances in low-cost functionalized optical fiber sensors for electric grid asset monitoring applications such as distribution transformers and battery monitoring applications will be presented. Future research activities and opportunities for high impact sensing material enabled technology innovation will also be highlighted.
8:55 AM Invited
Multimaterial Dry Printing and Additive Nanomanufacturing of Flexible Hybrid Electronics and Sensors: Masoud Mahjouri-Samani; Zabihollah Ahmadi1; Aarsh Patel1; Seungjong Lee1; Nima Shamsaei1; Raymond Unocic2; 1Auburn University; 2Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The interest in additively manufactured electronics (AME) or so-called printed electronics is rising fast as it can potentially enable the internet of things (IoT) with a wide range of applications in healthcare, automotive, aerospace, and energy industries. The current printing technologies are, however, liquid-based methods such as inkjet and aerosol jet printers, which suffer from major drawbacks, including complex ink formulations, surfactants/contaminants, limited printing inks, and the need for high-temperature post-processing to sinter the particles and remove the surfactants. This talk will present a novel multimaterial dry printing technology for flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) and sensors. Nanoparticles of various materials are generated in-situ and on-demand that are then directed toward the printer nozzle and laser-sintered in real-time to form desired patterns and structures layer-by-layer. This transformative dry printing process allows the on-demand formation and in-situ laser sintering of pure nanoparticles for printing future flexible hybrid electronics and sensors.
9:20 AM
3D Printing of Customized Embedded Sensors for Soft Robotic Applications: Akshay Kakar1; Derrick Banerjee1; Evan Helgeson1; Konstantinos Sierros1; Edward Sablosky1; Emrah Demirkal1; 1West Virginia University
Embedded sensors and sensor arrays are crucial for soft robotic applications, as they enable the robot to gauge its own movements and interact with the environment intelligently. To boost the information resolution sensed by the robot, multiple sensors are embedded at various depths within its body. Manufacturing flexibility of 3D printing enabled printing these customized sensors. In this study, direct ink writing was used to embed sensors and sensor arrays within the soft robot to provide real-time tactile and temperature feedback. These 3-3 composite structures sensors comprised of precious and base metal particles of various morphologies, dispersed within a siloxane matrix. Initially, stand-alone embedded sensors were evaluated during uniaxial and bending testing at variable temperatures, where effects of print quality, defects and printing variables were aligned with their electromechanical properties. Full embedded sensor arrays were later tested during actuation of the soft robotic members to replicate performance for end-use application.
9:40 AM Cancelled
Analysis of Coaxial Direct Ink Writing for Embedded Sensors in Soft Robotic Applications: John Burke1; Derrick Banerjee1; Craig Joiner1; Domenic Cipollone1; Edward Sabolsky1; Konstantinos Sierros1; 1West Virginia University
Direct ink writing (DIW) provides for an expansive material library and the ability to print multiple materials with tailored functionalities in a controllable and single-step process. Particularly beneficial is the net shape printing under ambient conditions of a wide range of materials normally incompatible with one another. In this work, custom-designed coaxial nozzles were 3D-printed using a stereolithography printer. These nozzles were then used to co-extrude conductive ink cores within shells of silicone elastomers for the fabrication of embedded flexible sensors. We demonstrated the ability of coaxial DIW to expand the applicability of DIW, improve substrate compatibility, and simplify traditional layer-by-layer processes. Experimentally validated flow simulations were used to explore the coaxial printing process. Stretchable strain sensors were implemented into soft robotic actuators and evaluated for their electromechanical response to pneumatic actuation. Electronic sensor device communication was evaluated with further development and testing of pressure and temperature sensors.
10:00 AM Break
10:20 AM Invited
Closing the Loop on Aerosol Jet Printing: Optical Process Monitoring to Support Reliable Fabrication of Electronics: Ethan Secor1; 1Iowa State University
Aerosol jet printing (AJP) is a compelling technology for direct-write fabrication of electronic devices, offering high resolution, broad materials compatibility, and digital patterning with a high standoff distance. Despite its popularity for laboratory demonstrations and low-level research and prototyping, AJP exhibits variability that challenges translation to production environments. This talk will highlight recent efforts to address this problem, spanning experimental studies to understand underlying sources of process drift, the development of process monitoring tools to detect variability, and closed-loop control strategies to realize reliable fabrication of functional electronic devices. Several case studies will illustrate the use of these tools to streamline materials and process development for functional printed electronics.
10:45 AM Invited
In-situ Sensors Enabling and Enabled by Additive Electronics: Benjamin Lariviere1; M. Ericson1; 1Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Direct-write printed electronic (PE) techniques offer unique capabilities for in-situ sensing in industrial manufacturing and energy applications. However, production and deployment of embeddable printed sensor devices and electronic circuit systems is limited by challenges in precise control over device structure and property outcomes, resulting in prohibitively low yield for complex devices and systems. To realize the potential of direct-write printing methods such as aerosol-jet printing (AJP) for applications which require high-resolution and high-precision features, it is necessary to address key components of the printing process itself. Closed loop strategies are needed to enable high quality deposition on complex surfaces, and to eliminate process drift from extended duration printing. This talk will describe a range of PE applications recently under development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and describe recent work toward achieving true closed-loop control of the AJP process by developing and deploying in-situ monitoring for the technology.
11:10 AM
Aerosol-Jet Printed Sensors for Environmental, Safety, and Health Monitoring: Christine Fisher1; Lydia Skolrood1; Kai Li1; Pooran Joshi1; Tolga Aytug1; 1Oak Ridge National Laboratory
An emergent direct-write approach, aerosol-jet printing (AJP), is gaining attention for deployment of rapid and affordable micro-additively manufactured energy-efficient sensors and printed electronics. AJP enables a broad range of ink viscosities (0.001–1 Pa-s) for printing diverse materials ranging from ceramics and metals to polymers and biological matter. Reproducible, high-spatial-resolution features (~10 μm) and wide standoff distances (1-11 mm) between the nozzle and substrate facilitate conformal printing of complex geometrical designs on non-planar—e.g., stepped or curved—surfaces. Herein, we provide an overview of state-of-the-art AJP-based sensors. The drive toward cost-effective devices that are smaller, lighter, and better-performing remains a frontier challenge in the field of printed electronics. Consequently, as AJP becomes increasingly utilized in the high-volume manufacturing of miniaturized active and passive sensors, it opens a pathway for facile large-scale fabrication of devices for a range of consumer and industrial applications, including transportation, agriculture, infrastructure, aerospace, national defense, and healthcare.
11:30 AM
Ball Milling Assisted Liquid Exfoliation and Aerosol Jet Printing of Ternary Transition Metal Dichalcogenides: Fereshteh Rajabi Kouchi1; Alireza Ahmadiparidari2; Amin Salehi-Khojin2; David Estrada1; 1Boise State University; 2University of Illinois at Chicago
Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have attracted significant interest due to their excellent properties and great potential in electronic applications. The properties of TMDCs can be engineered by reducing dimensionality, creating inter and intra-heterostructures, introducing inter strain, and alloying. Alloying can be achieved at transition metal sites, chalcogen sites, or both transition metal and chalcogen sites. Aerosol Jet printing (AJP) is a promising technique for additive electronics manufacturing and is influenced by various variables, including carrier gas flow rate, sheath gas flow rate, nozzle diameter, and atomization frequency. Additionally, AJP ink development requires tuning the ink rheology (e.g., viscosity, surface tension, and solid loading) to obtain suitable fluid dynamic parameters for jetting the ink. This work demonstrates the synthesis, characterization, and formulation of two-dimensional ternary TMDCs ink for AJP technology, highlighting a new dimension for research on next-generation printing of electronic devices such as sensors, solar cells, and energy storage devices.