Engineers will be able to print higher quality products at much lower temperatures, on cost-efficient substrates like paper and plastics, thanks to an improved photonic sintering process.
Photonic sintering is a technique where nanoparticles are deposited in a controlled way, and then joined together using low temperatures and light, in order to form a thin functional film.
In new research published in Scientific Reports, engineers at Oregon State University (OSU) claimed to have improved the process, allowing faster building of nanotechnology-based systems, and using 10 times less energy. This breakthrough has potential implications for embedded electronics, solar cells and biomedical sensors.
Rajiv Malhotra, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the OSU College of Engineering, said that the improvements came with a better understanding of the underlying physics around how photonic sintering works.
“It was thought, for instance, that temperature change and the degree of fusion weren’t related - but in fact that matters a lot,” Malhotra explained.
With this understanding, the researchers set out a new process that only requires the light from a xenon lamp. This can be used over comparatively large areas, and is much faster than conventional thermal methods.
Operating at lower temperatures means that the process can be used on materials such as paper that would burn at higher temperatures. This means it may be possible to incorporate nanotechnology into a range of cheaper or more fragile substrates, while also improving efficiency for higher-end electronics such as biomedical sensors and photovoltaic cells.
According to Malhotra, lower temperature processing is key to progress, because it means lower costs and being able to print nanotechnology on more commonly found substrates like paper and plastic.
“We now know that is possible, and how to do it. We should be able to create production processes that are both fast and cheap, without a loss of quality,” he said.
Other potential uses include gas sensors, radio frequency identification tags and flexible electronics. As part of the path to commercial production, the OSU team is working with two private sector manufacturers to create a proof-of-concept facility in the laboratory.