According to the company, these new inks adhere to plastic films, other flexible substrates, glass, silicon and indium tin oxide (ITO), where they form stable structures, which makes them suitable for supporting the concept of flexible electronics.
BayInk TP CNT contains Baytubes carbon nanotubes (CNTs). This eco-friendly ink enables production of switches and other electronic elements using virtually all current printing processes – from inkjet and gravure printing to screen printing – with conductivities up to 5,000 S/m. This completely removes the need for resintering, which not only means energy savings but is also a key benefit for use in temperature-sensitive substrates, the company claimed.
Bayer MaterialScience is working closely with other industrial companies and research institutes in developing CNT-based printing inks as part of the ‘CarboInk’ alliance on innovations with carbon nanotubes (Inno.CNT).
BayInk TP S is based on silver nanoparticles. The dispersion can be used to produce conductor tracks and circuits using inkjet technology. The resintering this requires can be performed at temperatures below 140 °C. This results in outstanding conductivity amounting to up to 35% of that of solid silver, depending on the sintering conditions, the company said.
BayInk TP S can also even be used to achieve a print resolution well below 50 micrometers, with the resolution being determined only by the printing process and not by the ink itself.
