NCSU researchers demonstrate technique for directly printing electronic circuits onto curved and corrugated surfaces
WRAL TechWire reports that researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated a new technique for directly printing electronic circuits onto curved and corrugated surfaces.
Their work paves the way for a variety of new soft electronic technologies, and researchers have used the technique to create prototype “smart” contact lenses, pressure-sensitive latex gloves, and transparent electrodes.
“There are many existing techniques for creating printed electronics using various materials, but limitations exist,” says Yong Zhu, corresponding author of a paper on the work. “One challenge is that existing techniques require the use of polymer binding agents in the ‘ink’ you use to print the circuits. This impairs the circuit’s conductivity, so you have to incorporate an additional step to remove those binding agents after printing.”
