Mapping the Volume Transfer of Graphene-Based Inks with the Gravure Printing Process: Influence of Rheology and Printing Parameters

Abstract

It is a common practice to add rheology modifiers to functional inks, such as graphene inks, to optimize the rheological properties so that they can be printed with a certain printing technique. This practice may lead to inks formulations with poorer electrical, optical, and mechanical performance upon its application, which are of paramount importance in printed electronics. In this study, we demonstrate for three different commercial graphene-based inks that it is possible to control the amount of ink transferred to the flat surface by tweaking printing parameters, such as the velocity and the length scale of the gravure cell, without modifying the rheology of the ink. Finally, the results are summarized in printing maps based on dimensionless numbers, namely, the capillary and Reynolds numbers.

Single-Bubble Rising in Shear-Thinning and Elastoviscoplastic Fluids Using a Geometric Volume of Fluid Algorithm

“…Here, is the vector of relative velocity between the two fluids. Although the interFOAM solver has been extensively employed in the past with successful results [ 30 , 57 , 59 , 60 ], it is known that, under certain conditions [ 61 ], the original VOF method in OpenFOAM may not be effective in preserving the desired sharpness of the interface. Moreover, the addition of the compressive velocity term is known to produce numerical artifacts during the interface advection.…”

“…The VOF method has been extended to simulate non-Newtonian multiphase flows. For example, Fakhari et al [ 30 ] measured the rheological parameters of three commercial inks for 3D printing, and these parameters were then fitted using Herschel-Bulkley and Sisko generalized Newtonian fluid models. Afterwards, two-phase fluid flow simulations of ink delivery in gravure printing using the VOF method were performed.…”

High-Resolution Printing of Various Electronic Materials by Electrophotography

“…Printed electronics are accomplished using various printing methods, such as gravure printing [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27], screen printing [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42], inkjet printing , flexography [75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83], and electrophotography. Gravure and screen printing are advantageous for high-throughput mass production; however, the preparation of printing plates is necessary before performing these processes.…”

Viscosity of graphene in lubricating oil, ethylene glycol and glycerol

“…At low shear rates, as the nanoplatelets rotate in the fluid, they gradually align themselves in the direction of increasing shear, producing then less resistance and hence a reduction in viscosity. When the shear rate is high enough, the maximum amount of possible shear ordering is attained and the aggregates break down to smaller sizes, decreasing viscosity [7,25]. Iranmanesh et al [11] also studied the viscosity and thermal conductivity of graphene nanoplatelets dispersed in distilled water and investigated the three influential parameters including concentration, temperature and specific surface area.…”