Printed electronics is an emerging technology with huge potential. Market studies predict a multi‐billion dollar market size within less than 5 years. Due to its compatibility with flexible substrates and low‐cost fabrication, printed electronics is able to bring electronic functionality to markets unfit for rigid and expensive silicon electronics. Key to its success are innovative printing technologies and high‐quality material systems, engineered for specific device applications. Printed electronics is a complex multidisciplinary research area, with still a number of fundamental problems to be solved before the technology can grow to its full potential. Evonik Industries is involved in the development of printed electronics through its unique science‐to‐business concept. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

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Electronics and printing are two very powerful technologies that we encounter many times on a daily basis. Both technologies are very efficient and optimized for their purpose but have distinctive limitations. Printed information is unbeatable when it comes to production efficiency and cost, but once the information has been printed it cannot be changed. Electronics on the other hand is very powerful in the handling of changing information, but the associated costs of the electronics make it often too expensive for the integration into simple day‐to‐day products. If the advantages of printing and electronics are successfully combined, a new technological field with a potential market size of several billion euros will be created. In this article, the basic principles of printing and electronics are explained and ways for the realization of electronics by printing are outlined. A short overview will be given on the material classes which are currently investigated for use in printed circuits.

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