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Selective ozone treatment of PDMS printing stamps for selective Ag metallization: a new approach to improving resolution in patterned flexible/stretchable electronics

Abstract:

Hypothesis

Selective ozone treatment of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) print-stamps may facilitate local de-wetting of Krytox®1506 oil; the resulting printed pattern can be used as a masking liquid during roll-to-roll vacuum-metallization, exemplified with Ag. This novel method may exploit high-throughput manufacture without chemical etchants or elevated temperatures for thin-film electronics.

Experiments

The mechanism for selective wetting arose from O3 treatment of PDMS through a shadow-mask to vary surface-energy due to formation of polar silanol (Si-OH) replacing surface methyl groups leading to contact angle reduction from 40°-9° for oil on PDMS. Oiled PDMS was (1) metalized itself and (2) used as a stamp to print onto polyethylene-terephthalate, consisting of oil pick-up/de-wetting/transfer-to-substrate/metallization.

Findings

Ag (520-568 nm) thick was deposited outside oiled regions, surpassing ∼20 μm resolution of commercial printing. On metalized PDMS, minimum line widths were 2.6 μm (with 10 μm edge-grading from centrifugal oil spreading) or widths of 24 μm (no Ag grading) following spin-coating/roll-coating oil respectively. The progressive effect of thinning oil via five successive stamp-to-substrate impressions, produced line widths of 14 μm (with graded edge of 7.6 μm via spreading from stamp-substrate compression). Developments may reduce reliance on laser engraving/photocuring, and could enhance micro-contact printing through liquid dynamics vs. topographical relief structures.

Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1016/j.jcis.2020.02.008

Authors


More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MPLS
Department:
Materials
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0001-8320-695X


Publisher:
Elsevier
Journal:
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science More from this journal
Volume:
568
Pages:
273-281
Publication date:
2020-02-11
Acceptance date:
2020-02-04
DOI:
EISSN:
1095-7103
ISSN:
0021-9797


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1085680
Local pid:
pubs:1085680
Deposit date:
2020-02-07

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