Researchers from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) recently demonstrated a conductive elastic ink that can print self-supporting structures in any direction. This new ink uses an emulsion system to achieve the desired print flow mechanics, and with its publication, could lead to numerous innovations in the stretchable and wearable electronic field.
3D printed electronics are growing, but the pace is difficult to understand, due to trade secrecy. One area that has received much attention has been 3D printed conductive elastomers. So far, printing conductive elastomers has been limited to a 2D plane because the rheological properties of most inks can’t support their weight immediately after printing. However, if a material could print free-standing structures while also being flexible enough to move with a person’s body, it could maximize the fidelity of the wearable devices and achieve the complex circuits needed to match the morphology of an individual patient.
Well, the Korean team did just that and found a way to manipulate an ink’s rheological properties to omnidirectionally print elastic conductors.
The KIST researchers used an emulsion system that consisted of a conductive elastomer composite (silver, Ag, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, MWCNTs, and polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS), an immiscible solvent (diethylene glycol, DEG), and emulsifying solvent (chloroform, CHCl3). Turns out, the DEG was the key ingredient to getting the proper rheological properties as it stopped the filler from settling in the dispersion and gave it pseudo-plastic and lubrication attributes which prevent nozzle clogging allowing for stable prints.

The emulsion ink reached a minimum feature size of less than 100 μm and a maximum feature size of a few millimeters. The inks also achieved an impressive stretchability of up to 150% and had improved electrical conductivity because of the surface localized microstructures formed when the dispersed solvent vaporized.

KIST’s new method will allow for a variety of 3D wiring patterns to be printed, and they showcased its ability in the final figure. The researchers created a skin-mountable temperature sensor using their new emulsion conductive ink as wiring, mini LEDs, and a microcontroller unit with a temperature sensor. The sensor’s matrix-type stretchable display easily reads the temperature of the air around it and can be seen changing from 25°C to 32°C when a researcher first touches the device, and from 33°C to 42°C when a warm glass was introduced.

Now, this won’t be the end of the road, and more improvements will be needed before it heads to commercialization, but it still opens the doors to new possibilities in wearable and stretchable electronics. The authors even say the ink’s formulation can be easily modified to exhibit the desired characteristic an individual situation might need. Time will tell how this technology is implemented, but if it can help electronic devices interface with the human body easier and more efficiently, then it sounds like the field is heading in the right direction.
The full academic article can be found here at Nature Electronics.
Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.
You May Also Like
Ricoh Partners with Materialise to Enhance 3D Printing in Hospitals
Ricoh (TYO: 7752) announced a partnership with Materialise (Nasdaq: MTLS) at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2023 event. This collaboration aims to make 3D printing more accessible and...
3D Printing Webinar and Event Roundup: November 26, 2023
Things are getting busy again in terms of 3D printing webinars and events! This week is the RSNA annual meeting, the World Manufacturing Forum, and more. HP is holding an...
3D Printing Financials: Stratasys Navigates Through Economic Uncertainty, Steady Profits and Revenue
Stratasys (Nasdaq: SSYS) unveiled its financial results for the third quarter of 2023, revealing a mixed scenario amid a backdrop of significant merger and acquisition (M&A) activities with Nano Dimension...
3D Printing News Briefs, November 18, 2023: Depowdering, Jewelry Patterns, & More
We’re kicking off 3D Printing News Briefs with a little business today, as Horizon Microtechnologies invested in a micro AM platform from Boston Micro Fabrication, and Rivelin Robotics announced a...