Bubble Printing on Wire

 


A new study was published in Nanomaterials on October 17. Scientists at Yokohama National University have created a bubble printing technique. It allows for high precision patterning of liquid metal wiring in flexible electronics. The methodology offers new pathways for the creation of highly conductive circuits, that are both bendable and stretchable. These devices are ideal for wearable sensors and medical implants.

Mainstream wiring is made of physical wiring and circuit boards. It powers most electronics, from phones to computers. There is a demand for wearable electronic devices, and it's proving that traditional wiring has inadequacies.

Shoji Maruo is a professor at the Faculty of Engineering of Yokohama National University and is corresponding author of the study. He reports, "Conventional wiring technologies rely on rigid conductive materials, which are unsuitable for flexible electronics that need to bend and stretch."

There are alternatives to such rigid materials. These materials, like liquid metals, make headway, but using them comes with specific challenges.

Masaru Mukai is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Engineering and the study's first author. He reports, "Liquid metals provide both flexibility and high conductivity, yet they present issues in wiring size, patterning freedom, and electrical resistance of its oxide layer."

The team worked on addressing these concerns. They adapted a bubble printing method. Normally this printing type is reserved for solid particles. The team patterned liquid metal colloidal particles of eutectic gallium-indium alloy (EGaln).

Bubble printing is an advanced technique. It is used for creating precise wiring patterns directly onto surfaces, specifically on flexible substrates. The team used a femtosecond laser beam. It heated the EGaln particles and created micro bubbles. The bubbles then guide the particles into exact lines on a flexible glass surface. The wires that were created are thin, highly conductive and highly flexible. 

Mukai reports, "Our liquid metal wiring, with a minimum line width of 3.4 micron, demonstrated a high conductivity of 1.5 x 10(5) S/m and maintained stable conductivity even when bent, highlighting it's potential for flexible electronic applications." 

This new method will allows for new creations in soft electronics for wearable technology. This includes healthcare applications where precise functionality and flexibility are important. 

 

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