Premium
Performance Enhancement of Inkjet Printed Multi‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes Inks using Synthetic and Green Surfactants
Author(s) -
Kamarudin Siti Fatimah,
Jaafar Mariatti,
Abd Manaf Asrulnizam,
Takamura Yuzuru,
Masuda Takashi,
Yumoto Yudai
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced materials technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.184
H-Index - 42
ISSN - 2365-709X
DOI - 10.1002/admt.202001026
Subject(s) - materials science , carbon nanotube , polyvinylpyrrolidone , inkwell , dispersant , dispersion stability , chemical engineering , pulmonary surfactant , nanotechnology , dispersion (optics) , zeta potential , sheet resistance , nanomaterials , absorbance , conductive ink , aqueous solution , composite material , nanoparticle , layer (electronics) , organic chemistry , polymer chemistry , chromatography , chemistry , physics , engineering , optics
While the efficiency of synthetic surfactants in controlling the dispersion behaviour of nanomaterials in aqueous solution has been well documented, issues on environmental impact remain unsolved. The aim of this study is to synthesize multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) inks using green surfactants and their chemical, physical, and electrical performances are compared to those of synthetic surfactant inks. The conductive ink is synthesized by dispersing MWCNTs in surfactant solution (gum Arabic [GA], alkali lignin [AL], polyvinylpyrrolidone [PVP] or pluronic F‐127 [PL]) with various concentrations. Among four investigated surfactants, GA/MWCNTs and PVP/MWCNTs inks are selected for further investigation due to their excellent dispersion stability. The printability of both inks is assessed by analyzing the quality of the conductive patterns printed with different inkjet printers theoretically and experimentally. It is found that multi‐nozzle printer is capable of developing printed patterns with lower sheet resistance compared to single‐nozzle printer. Overall, 5 GA/MWCNTs ink recorded as the most stable ink with only 14.4% reduction of absorbance after 30 days and with zeta potential value of −40.3 ± 5.36 mV. Ten layers of 5 GA/MWCNTs ink printed on PVA demonstrate a dense MWCNTs networks, which contribute to the lowest surface resistance of 3.0 kΩ sq −1 .