March 14, Electronics360: Researchers from the University of Barcelona have developed a bonding technique to build intelligent flexible hybrid circuits using an inkjet printer with silver nanoparticles ink.
The need for a fast yet reliable and cheap process for developing circuits that also helps to reduce the environmental impact of standard fabrication processes was the basis for the development of the bonding technique. Researchers chose nanoparticles of silver for the ink because it is widely available and easy to reproduce into stable ink. While silver itself is not cheap, the amount used in the process was low enough to keep costs of the technique down, researchers say.