Collaborative Research: Inkjet Printing Framework by Droplet Impact-induced Ink Release from Liquid Crystal Receiving Substrate

合作研究：通过液滴冲击诱导液晶接收基板释放墨水的喷墨打印框架

• 批准号: 2227991
• 负责人: Xiaoguang Wang
• 金额: $ 35.84万
• 依托单位: Ohio State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-07-01 至 2026-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2227991&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Inkjet; Printing; Framework

Inkjet printing technology is a widely utilized manufacturing method due to its high precision and reproducibility. However, the current inkjet printing technology is restricted by the limited choices of inks and requires additional formulation steps to print composite materials, which limits its applications in industry. This grant supports fundamental research that aims to create a new inkjet printing method to encapsulate ink in a liquid crystal substrate and eventually expands to a larger range of materials. If successful, the research outcomes will enable printing of advanced materials, including organic electronics for sensors and wearable devices, and benefit healthcare and energy sectors. The outreach and education activities involve students ranging from K-12 to undergraduate levels to stimulate interests in STEM fields, which will train the next generation of manufacturing workforce and encourage the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM. Traditional inkjet printing requires ink materials with low viscosity and high ejection speed for the dispensing of ink droplets. On the other hand, low viscosity leads to droplets splashing on the receiving substrate and compromising the print resolution. As a result, there are limited combinations of ink properties and operating conditions that are “printable.” Instead of dispensing the ink droplet onto conventional solid surfaces, this grant supports basic research that aims to understand the impact-induced ink release mechanism for ink chemicals embedded in a liquid crystal film. In this process, the ink is released onto the liquid crystal surface using droplet impacts to enable the inkjet printing of viscous materials. Theoretical analysis will be carried out to identify critical conditions required for the controlled release of the embedded ink in the liquid crystal film. Critical parameters that allow the design of the liquid crystal film and the control of the ink release will be identified using experiments to understand the effects of Weber number on ink release. If successful, this research will enable the printing of materials with controlled thickness and dimensions that were previously difficult or impossible to print, such as thermosetting and (semi)conducting polymers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

喷墨打印技术因其高精度和可重复性而成为一种广泛使用的制造方法，然而，当前的喷墨打印技术受到墨水选择有限的限制，并且需要额外的配方步骤来打印复合材料，这限制了其在工业中的应用。这笔赠款支持基础研究，旨在创建一种新的喷墨打印方法，将墨水封装在液晶基板中，并最终扩展到更大范围的材料，如果成功，研究成果将能够打印先进材料，包括用于传感器的有机电子器件。这些推广和教育活动涉及从 K-12 到本科生的学生，以激发他们对 STEM 领域的兴趣，从而培训下一代制造业劳动力，并鼓励代表性不足的群体参与其中。传统的喷墨打印需要低粘度和高喷射速度的墨水材料来分配墨滴，但低粘度会导致墨滴溅到接收基材上并影响打印。因此，“可打印”的墨水特性和操作条件的组合有限。这项资助不是将墨水滴分配到传统的固体表面上，而是支持旨在了解冲击引起的墨水释放机制的基础研究。嵌入液晶薄膜中的墨水化学物质在此过程中，利用液滴冲击将墨水释放到液晶表面上，以实现粘性材料的喷墨打印，以确定受控所需的关键条件。如果成功，将通过实验确定液晶膜设计和油墨释放控制的关键参数，以了解韦伯数对油墨释放的影响。将使打印以前难以或不可能打印的具有受控厚度和尺寸的材料成为可能，例如热固化和（半）导电聚合物。该奖项是 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和评估进行评估，被认为值得支持。更广泛的影响审查标准。