The rheology of silicon nanoparticle inks fro screen printing electronic devices

Mathe, Ntombizodwa

The rheology of silicon nanoparticle inks fro screen printing electronic devices

Master Thesis

2010

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Physics

Faculty

Faculty of Science

Abstract

In the development of inks for printed electronics, it is important to understand the behaviour of the functional inks and more especially their rheology and surface properties. This project emphasises the importance of ink characterization by performing rheological tests on silicon nanoparticle based inks that are used in the screen printing of electronic devices. The inks were characterized for linear viscoelastic behaviour, flow behaviour, change in properties with angular frequency, as well as thixotropic behaviour. All showed shear thinning, with the more dilute inks showing a power law (Ostwald / de Waele model) behaviour dependence of complex viscosity on angular frequency. The flow behaviour of the inks was also seen to follow a Windhab model. The printability of the inks primarily depends on the shear-dependent viscosity as highly viscous and dilute inks do not produce good printed structures. The printed layers showed electrical and optical activity.

Keywords

Physics

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