Statistical analysis of E-jet print parameter effects on Ag-nanoparticle ink droplet size

Abstract

In this paper, we have studied the print parameter effects on electrohydrodynamic inkjet (E-jet) resolution using statistical analysis. In order to make the E-jet manufacturing process feasible, the effect of printing parameters on the ejected droplet size must be modelled and optimized. To this end, there exist two approaches: parameter effects can be modelled using theoretical calculations or they can be generated directly from empirical data using statistical analysis. The first option has been explored by multiple research groups, whereas the latter has received less interest. In this article, the effect of printing parameters on the width of AC-pulsed E-jet deposited Ag-nanoparticle ink droplets are investigated using design of experiments (DoE) approach and statistical analysis. As a result, a statistical model for deposited droplet width is generated using four print parameters (print height, bias voltage, peak voltage and frequency) as predictors. The model can predict 94.24% of the measured width variation with a standard deviation of 1.05 µm.

Printed 3D Electrode Arrays with Micrometer‐Scale Lateral Resolution for Extracellular Recording of Action Potentials

“…By applying a pulsed voltage waveform to the glass pipette, an electrostatic force is applied to the nozzle opening resulting in the jetting of femtoliter droplets of gold nanoparticle (AuNP) ink onto the substrate . As in any other inkjet printing method, the waveform is a crucial aspect which determines the size and reliability of jetting individual droplets with negligible satellites . An inadequate waveform can otherwise lead to positional inaccuracies for the main droplet and change the overall volumetric precision when forming 3D structures.…”

Drying Droplets: A Review on its Numerical and Experimental Studies to Remove Coffee Ring Effect

“…Drying of droplet is actually a complex, non-equilibrium and difficult-to-control process [8], the control of the deposition morphology of droplet has significant influence. Further studies on this non-uniform redistribution process indicate that inner flows, including capillary flow [9] and Marangoni flow [10], dynamics of the three-phase contact line [11], and particle-particle/particle-interface interaction [12] will influence the final particle distribution.…”

Electrohydrodynamic Jet Printing: Introductory Concepts and Considerations

“…It is ideal to keep conditions as constant as possible to ensure reasonable printing quality and reduce any inconsistencies. [ 51 ] When an electric field is applied, temperature can be significantly changed (increased) if arcing is allowed to occur, or if the electrical conductivity of the ink is so low that jetting is not possible. This could lead to a point where the surface tension of the material being printed is altered, thus throwing off the balance between the surface and electrostatic force (see Figure 2a).…”

“…Laurila et al presented an analysis of the relationship between the pulse frequency, duration, duty cycle, and applied potential. [ 51 ] In their investigation, they determine that the droplet size has a negative relationship with the pulse frequency (i.e., low‐frequency results in large droplet size). This is explained by the relationship between charge build‐up and droplet pinch off.…”