Session: 03-01-03: Annual Conference-Wide Symposium on Additive Manufacturing

Paper Number: 150075

150075 - Plasma Jet Enhanced In-Situ Aerosol Jet Printing and Sintering 

Aerosol-based printing has rapidly evolved as a key technique for manufacturing functional devices characterized by complex patterns and vast material compositions. This method stands out for its ability to achieve exceptional microscale precision on conformal substrates, offering significant advantages over many traditional manufacturing techniques. However, many aerosol-printed materials, such as silver nanoparticles and gold nanoparticles, necessitate a post-printing sintering phase to eradicate surfactants present in the deposited ink and form a conductive, continuous film, which typically requires high-temperature thermal processing, posing limitations on the types of substrates that can be used without damage and increasing manufacturing time significantly.

This report proposes a novel aerosol jet printing method that integrates a nonthermal, atmospheric pressure plasma jet, which facilitates in-situ sintering at near-room temperatures during the aerosol deposition process. This advancement allows for the highly efficient direct fabrication of electronic components on substrates that are sensitive to high temperatures, such as certain polymers and biological interfaces, including plant or animal epidermis.

We thoroughly investigates how different processing parameters, such as ink flow rates and plasma source voltage, impact the quality of the prints and the efficacy of the in-situ sintering. The incorporation of a convolutional neural network-based machine learning algorithm enhances the quality control. This model analyzes visual data to detect any defects in real-time and dynamically adjusts printing parameters to rectify these flaws immediately. Such capabilities ensure the consistent production of high-quality films and avoid the detrimental filamentation behavior during printing.

The in situ sintering of silver nanoparticles at low temperatures using our method achieves electrical conductivities comparable to those processed through post-printing plasma treatments. Moreover, this technique eliminates the need for any post-processing steps, thereby streamlining the production process and potentially reducing manufacturing times by more than 90%. Additionally, the unique dual-gas setup of our printing system offers adaptability to a wide range of operational conditions, enhancing its application versatility.

The implications of this technology extend far beyond simple manufacturing efficiencies. By enabling the direct integration of electronic circuits onto unconventional, temperature-sensitive substrates, our method paves the way for innovative applications in printed electronics, wearable devices, and biomanufacturing. We demonstrated that this technique could lead to the development of bio-integrated sensors and devices that conform seamlessly to complex biological or synthetic surfaces. Thus, this plasma enhanced aerosol jet printing technique not only represents a significant technological leap in manufacturing capabilities but also holds substantial potential for propelling forward the fields of advanced electronics and bioengineering.

Presenting Author: Yipu Du University of Notre Dame

Presenting Author Biography: Yipu Du has a keen interest in the field of advanced additive manufacturing techniques. He has developed several additive manufacturing methods, particularly for the fabrication of biosensing devices. His work also involves exploring the integration of machine vision and machine learning with additive manufacturing systems to enhance their intelligence and efficiency.

Authors:

Yipu Du University of Notre Dame
Jinyu Yang University of Notre Dame
Yanliang Zhang Univerisity of Notre Dame
David Go Univerisity of Notre Dame