Formulations
Researchers at PRINTUP INSTITUTE develop inks with high added-value functionalities: organic, conductive or semi-conductive inks, metallic inks (gold, silver, copper, etc.) or inks based on nano-carbons or functionalised
Conductive inks
are made by mixing conductive fillers with resin, solvents and additives.
Semi-conductive inks
Appropriate mixed solvents are used to ensure that the solids dissolve properly. Additives are added to adapt the rheological characteristics of the inks to the chosen deposition technique.
Metallic inks
are obtained from metal nanoparticles. Each stabilised nanoparticle guarantees the ink’s stability over time. These inks are formulated using more environmentally-friendly solvents (water, ethanol) and a lower quantity of metals than are typically found in commercial metallic inks.
Colloidal inks
based on dielectric nanoparticles (SiO2 silica, for example) are formulated using a number of parameters (size and shape of the nanoparticles, structure of the stabilising organic ring, solvents/mixtures of solvents used for the suspension, etc.). The use of these inks responds to the need for microstructuring of substrates and diversified applications in the biomedical sciences (nanomedicine, catalysis, controlled drug administration).
Researchers at the institute are also working on other types of high added-value inks, such as hydrogel inks integrated with transistors to create ultra-sensitive detection devices.