Grant: Strategic Projects - Group
University of Western Ontario
$133,600.00
Developing Robust, high-resolution, high-performance and low-cost printing technologies for making flexible and stretchable electronics and devices
FY 2014-15
Summary
Electronics or devices, which are flexible, wearable, rollable and/or foldable, will bring us completely different user experience and even change the way of our life. Making flexible and stretchable electronics and devices has become an important direction of advanced manufacturing. Recent advances in materials and manufacturing processes have enabled many new applications of flexible electronics/devices, for example, electronic paper, curved screens, foldable or rollable displays, flexible solar cells, tunable lens, artificial muscles, skin sensors and wearable biomedical devices for health monitoring. The market demand for flexible, printed, and organic electronics dramatically increases. Currently the global market is over $1B, and will grow up to $45B by 2016.Recently material or inkjet printing has emerged as a very promising technique for mass production of large-area flexible and stretchable electronics at relatively low cost. Inkjet printing is a versatile technique that places conductive inorganic or organic materials in a direct-writing manner to designated locations on elastomeric substrates. In spite of its many advantages, current inkjet printing technology still faces a number of technical challenges such as low conductivity of printed metallic circuits, weak adhesion between conductive materials and the substrate, low resolution compared to the conventional IC processes, and limited choices of conductive materials and substrate materials. In this project, we will develop new inkjet printing technologies that can overcome the abovementioned technical challenges and significantly improve performance of the printed electronics/devices. For example, the printed copper circuits by our technologies can achieve a breakthrough high conductivity up to 75% of bulk copper. Potentially our technologies can also achieve a breakthrough high resolution that allows for printing high-density integrated circuits. With many applications proposed to develop, this project will show significant benefit to Canada's economy and provide excellent training opportunities to Canada's young engineers.
Program
Strategic Projects - Group
Recipient
Location
Ontario, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
447623-2013
Name nom
Yang, Jun
Department département
Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Organization id
36
Institution établissement
University of Western Ontario
Province en
Ontario
Province fr
Ontario
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2014
Competition year année de concours
2013
Award amount
133600
Program id
STPGP
Program name en
Strategic Projects - Group
Program name fr
Projets stratégiques - De groupe
Group en
Research partnerships programs
Group fr
Programmes de partenariat
Committee code
1569
Committee name en
Strategic Projects Selection Panel - Manufacturing
Committee name fr
Comité de sélection des projets stratégiques - Fabrication
Area of application code
500
Area of application group en
Manufacturing processes and products
Area of application group fr
Procédés et produits industriels
Area of application en
Manufacturing processes and products
Area of application fr
Procédés et produits industriels
Research subject code
1702
Research subject group en
Design and manufacturing
Research subject group fr
Conception et fabrication
Research subject en
Advanced manufacturing
Research subject fr
Méthodes de fabrication avancées
Partie
2
Nb partie
3
Application title
Developing Robust, high-resolution, high-performance and low-cost printing technologies for making flexible and stretchable electronics and devices
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
Electronics or devices, which are flexible, wearable, rollable and/or foldable, will bring us completely different user experience and even change the way of our life. Making flexible and stretchable electronics and devices has become an important direction of advanced manufacturing. Recent advances in materials and manufacturing processes have enabled many new applications of flexible electronics/devices, for example, electronic paper, curved screens, foldable or rollable displays, flexible solar cells, tunable lens, artificial muscles, skin sensors and wearable biomedical devices for health monitoring. The market demand for flexible, printed, and organic electronics dramatically increases. Currently the global market is over $1B, and will grow up to $45B by 2016.Recently material or inkjet printing has emerged as a very promising technique for mass production of large-area flexible and stretchable electronics at relatively low cost. Inkjet printing is a versatile technique that places conductive inorganic or organic materials in a direct-writing manner to designated locations on elastomeric substrates. In spite of its many advantages, current inkjet printing technology still faces a number of technical challenges such as low conductivity of printed metallic circuits, weak adhesion between conductive materials and the substrate, low resolution compared to the conventional IC processes, and limited choices of conductive materials and substrate materials. In this project, we will develop new inkjet printing technologies that can overcome the abovementioned technical challenges and significantly improve performance of the printed electronics/devices. For example, the printed copper circuits by our technologies can achieve a breakthrough high conductivity up to 75% of bulk copper. Potentially our technologies can also achieve a breakthrough high resolution that allows for printing high-density integrated circuits. With many applications proposed to develop, this project will show significant benefit to Canada's economy and provide excellent training opportunities to Canada's young engineers.
