Advancements in transfer printing techniques for flexible electronics:adjusting interfaces and promoting versatility

The burgeoning interest in flexible electronics necessitates the creation of patterning technology specifically tailored for flexible substrates and complex surface morphologies.Among a variety of patterning techniques,transfer printing emerges as one of the most efficient,cost-effective,and scalable methods.It boasts the ability for high-throughput fabrication of 0–3D micro-and nano-structures on flexible substrates,working in tandem with traditional lithography methods.This review highlights the critical issue of transfer printing:the flawless transfer of devices during the pick-up and printing process.We encapsulate recent advancements in numerous transfer printing techniques,with a particular emphasis on strategies to control adhesion forces at the substrate/device/stamp interfaces.These strategies are employed to meet the requirements of competing fractures for successful pick-up and print processes.The mechanism,advantages,disadvantages,and typical applications of each transfer printing technique will be thoroughly discussed.The conclusion section provides design guidelines and probes potential directions for future advancements.

Near-zero-adhesion-enabled intact wafer-scale resist-transfer printing for high-fidelity nanofabrication on arbitrary substrates

There is an urgent need for novel processes that can integrate different functional nanostructures onto specific substrates,so as to meet the fast-growing need for broad applications in nanoelectronics,nanophotonics,and fexible optoelectronics.Existing direct-lithography methods are difficult to use on fexible,nonplanar,and biocompatible surfaces.Therefore,this fabrication is usually accomplished by nanotransfer printing.However,large-scale integration of multiscale nanostructures with unconventional substrates remains challenging because fabrication yields and quality are often limited by the resolution,uniformity,adhesivity,and integrity of the nanostructures formed by direct transfer.Here,we proposed a resist-based transfer strategy enabled by near-zero adhesion,which was achieved by molecular modification to attain a critical surface energy interval.This approach enabled the intact transfer of wafer-scale,ultrathin-resist nanofilms onto arbitrary substrates with mitigated cracking and wrinkling,thereby facilitating the in situ fabrication of nanostructures for functional devices.Applying this approach,fabrication of three-dimensional-stacked multilayer structures with enhanced functionalities,nanoplasmonic structures with~10 nm resolution,and MoS2-based devices with excellent performance was demonstrated on specific substrates.These results collectively demonstrated the high stability,reliability,and throughput of our strategy for optical and electronic device applications.

Transfer film effects induced by 3D-printed polyether-ether-ketone with excellent tribological properties for joint prosthesis

Based on the building principle of additive manufacturing,printing orientation mainly determines the tribological properties of joint prostheses.In this study,we created a polyether-ether-ketone(PEEK)joint prosthesis using fused filament fabrication and investigated the effects of printing orientation on its tribological properties using a pin-on-plate tribometer in 25% newborn calf serum.An ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene transfer film is formed on the surface of PEEK due to the mechanical capture of wear debris by the 3D-printed groove morphology,which is significantly impacted by the printing orientation of PEEK.When the printing orientation was parallel to the sliding direction of friction,the number and size of the transfer film increased due to higher steady stress.This transfer film protected the matrix and reduced the friction coefficient and wear rate of friction pairs by 39.13%and 74.33%,respectively.Furthermore,our findings provide a novel perspective regarding the role of printing orientation in designing knee prostheses,facilitating its practical applications.

Switchable dry adhesive based on shape memory polymer with hemispherical indenters for transfer printing

Transfer printing based on switchable adhesive is essential for developing unconventional systems,including flexible electronics,stretchable electronics,and micro light-emitting diode(LED)displays.Here we report a design of switchable dry adhesive based on shape memory polymer(SMP)with hemispherical indenters,which offers a continuously tunable and reversible adhesion through the combination of the preloading effect and the thermal actuation of SMP.Experimental and numerical studies reveal the fundamental aspects of design,fabrication,and operation of the switchable dry adhesive.Demonstrations of this adhesive concept in transfer printing of flat objects(e.g.,silicon wafers),three-dimensional(3D)objects(e.g.,stainless steel balls),and rough objects(e.g.,frosted glasses)in two-dimensional(2D)or 3D layouts illustrate its unusual manipulation capabilities in heterogeneous material integration applications.

Properties of Novel Reactive Transfer Printing of Silk

The novel reactive transfer printing of silk was carried out through a hot-press adhesion and steaming. The special transfer paper was prepared by coating the paste mainly containing hot-melt adhesive hlgh-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose （H-HPC） and printing thickener earboxymethyl cellulose （CMC）. The effects of each ingredient in the paste on color yield of the prints and dye penetration were investigated. The major results indicate that, color yield is chiefly governed by the adhesion extent imparted by H-HPC, the type of fixing alkaline agent, and the content of urea. Trichloroacetic acid （TCAA） as the fixing alkaline agent and adding 5% urea can enhance the color depth obviously. Dye penetration depends on the coating quantity on the transfer paper, the contents of urea and dicyandiamide. The printed silk possesses a higher color yield, color fastness of grade 3 or above, clear sharpness, and good handle when the paste contains 3 % H-HPC, 0. 7 % CMC, 3 % TCAA, 5 % urea, 3 % dicyandiamide, and 0. 5 % physical sorbent nano-silica.

A thermal actuated switchable dry adhesive with high reversibility for transfer printing

Transfer printing based on switchable adhesive that heterogeneously integrates materials is essential to develop novel electronic systems,such as flexible electronics and micro LED displays.Here,we report a robust design of a thermal actuated switchable dry adhesive,which features a stiff sphere embedded in a thermally responsive shape memory polymer(SMP)substrate and encapsulated by an elastomeric membrane.This construct bypasses the unfavorable micro-and nano-fabrication processes and yields an adhesion switchability of over1000 by combining the peel-rate dependent effect of the elastomeric membrane and the thermal actuation of the sub-surface embedded stiff sphere.Experimental and numerical studies reveal the underlying thermal actuated mechanism and provide insights into the design and operation of the switchable adhesive.Demonstrations of this concept in stamps for transfer printing of fragile objects,such as silicon wafers,silicon chips,and inorganic micro-LED chips,onto challenging non-adhesive surfaces illustrate its potential in heterogeneous material integration applications,such as flexible electronics manufacturing and deterministic assembly.

Efficient nonfullerene organic solar cells with active layers fabricated by water transfer printing

Preparation of high-quality films plays an important role to achieve high-performance nonfullerene (NF) organic solar cells. NF active layer films are typically fabricated by spin coating. Novel fabrication methods to process the NF active layer are desirable to be compatible with large-area production. Herein, we report on the fabrication of NF active layer films via a water transfer printing method.This method delivers a uniform film with controllable film thicknesses. NF active layers of PDBD-T:ITIC and PBDB-T-2F:IT-4F were fabricated via the method to validate its effectiveness. Solar cells with the water transfer-printed active layers show comparable performance (up to 11.7%) to the cells with spin-coated active layers. Furthermore, NF solar modules containing 4-sub cells with the active area of 3.2 cm2 are also fabricated via the method. The module shows VOC of up to 3.4 V and a power conversion efficiency of 8.1% with the PBDB-T-2F:IT-4F active layer.

Direct Patterning of Carbon Nanotube via Stamp Contact Printing Process for Stretchable and Sensitive Sensing Devices

Flexible and wearable sensing devices have broad application prospects in bio-monitoring such as pulse measurement,motion detection and voice recognition.In recent years,many significant improvements had been made to enhance the sensor’s performance including sensitivity,flexibility and repeatability.However,it is still extremely complicated and difficult to prepare a patterned sensor directly on a flexible substrate.Herein,inspired by typography,a lowcost,environmentally friendly stamping method for the mass production of transparent conductive carbon nanotube(CNT)film is proposed.In this dry transfer strategy,a porous CNT block was used as both the seal and the ink;and Ecoflex film was served as an object substrate.Welldesigned CNT patterns can be easily fabricated on the polymer substrate by engraving the target pattern on the CNT seal before the stamping process.Moreover,the CNT film can be directly used to fabricate ultrathin(300μm)strain sensor.This strain sensor possesses high sensitivity with a gauge factor(GF)up to 9960 at 85%strain,high stretchability(>200%)and repeatability(>5000 cycles).It has been used to measure pulse signals and detect joint motion,suggesting promising application prospects in flexible and wearable electronic devices.

Regulatable interfacial adhesion between stamp and ink for transfer printing

As an emerging processing technology,transfer printing enables the assembly of functional material arrays(called inks)on various substrates with micro/nanoscale resolution and has been widely used in the fabrication of flexible electronics and display systems.The critical steps in transfer printing are the ink pick-up and printing processes governed by the switching of adhesion states at the stamp/ink interface.In this review,we first introduce the history of transfer printing in terms of the transfer methods,transferred materials,and applications.Then,the fundamental characteristics of the transfer printing system and typical strategies for regulating the stamp/ink interfacial adhesion strength are summarized and exemplified.Finally,future challenges and opportunities for developing the novel stamps,inks,and substrates with intelligent adhesion capability are discussed,aiming to inspire the innovation in the design of transfer printing systems.

DTF热转印工艺特点及质量控制因素

DTF热转印工艺是近年来发展较快的新工艺。在对DTF工艺及产品长期实践研究的基础上,文章从机理上分析DTF工艺的工艺特点、控制条件,以及操作步骤对工艺质量的影响。

A single micro-LED manipulation system based on micro-gripper

Micro-LEDs(μLEDs)have advantages in terms of brightness,power consumption,and response speed.In addition,they can also be used as micro-sensors implanted in the body via flexible electronic skin.One of the key techniques involved in the fabrication ofμLED-based devices is transfer printing.Although numerous methods have been proposed for transfer printing,improving the yield ofμLED arrays is still a formidable task.In this paper,we propose a novel method for improving the yield ofμLED arrays transferred by the stamping method,using an innovative design of piezoelectrically driven asymmetric micro-gripper.Traditional grippers are too large to manipulateμLEDs,and therefore two micro-sized cantilevers are added at the gripper tips.AμLED manipulation system is constructed based on the micro-gripper together with a three-dimensional positioning system.Experimental results using this system show that it can be used successfully to manipulateμLED arrays.

热转印系统色带传动过程张力分析与建模

为保证热转印过程中薄膜色带传动稳定进而实现高质量转印,建立正确的热转印色带传动张力模型十分关键。首先,研究了热转印色带传动系统组成及转印原理,并根据色带传动路径分辊间段、放卷段和收卷段3阶段对色带传动系统张力进行了建模与分析。然后,结合热转印色带卷材的黏弹性分析张力形成机制,改进了卷绕系统经典张力公式,建立了辊间段薄膜色带张力模型。针对传动系统的放卷区域,分析了摩擦对薄膜色带传动张力的影响,提出张力下降系数以评估张力损失。考虑色带张力非线性时变的特点,利用步进电动机负载模型求解收卷区域色带张力。最后,通过对比仿真与实验所得的色带张力变化曲线,验证了模型的准确性,为后续张力控制方案设计奠定了基础。

印刷电路板换热器内翅片布置方式的场协同分析与讨论

为了研究超临界CO_(2)的传热性能并提高其换热性能,通过采用超临界CO_(2)作为传热流体,以翼型翅片为例,使用数值模拟的方法探究印刷电路板换热器内的不连续翅片通道,分析几种翅片布置方式的传热和阻力性能,得出翅片的最佳布置方式。同时通过场协同理论,即通过分析温度场、压力场和速度场之间的协同性对模拟结果进行分析与讨论。结果表明,当交错距离为4 mm时,其传热性能与阻力性能均为最优,拥有最小的温度场与速度场协同角和最大的压力场与速度场协同角,表明这种布置方式可以使温度场与速度场的协同性和压力场与速度场的协同性均为最优,且它们之间的协同性均随着入口质量流量的增大而变差。

超临界CO_(2)板式扩散焊矩形微通道换热器扰流格栅结构优化研究

为提升超临界二氧化碳(supercritical carbon dioxide,S-CO_(2))布雷顿循环系统中印刷电路板式换热器(printed circuit heat exchanger,PCHE)的流动传热综合性能,该文通过数值模拟的方法,基于一种全蚀刻工艺的新型矩形截面PCHE,建立以冷热通道换热单元为研究对象的数学物理模型。研究不同运行工况下,通道内扰流格栅间距对S-CO_(2)流动传热特性的影响机理和影响规律。结果表明:不同格栅间距的热通道内S-CO_(2)的流速均沿程逐渐减小,而冷通道内S-CO_(2)的流速反而沿程逐渐增大。冷热通道内的流动摩擦阻力系数(f)和努塞尔数(Nu)均随着格栅间距的增大而逐渐增大,但不同格栅间距的冷通道内的f和Nu均大于其对应的热通道内的f和Nu。当格栅间距为5.97 mm时,矩形截面通道具有相对最优的综合性能,可以在阻力损失较小的情况下实现强化换热。研究结果可为全蚀刻工艺矩形截面PCHE的性能提升和结构优化提供理论依据和数据支撑。

3D打印规整催化材料功能化及其强化反应传质的研究进展

3D打印是一种数字化设计制造手段,可将多维制造转变为由下至上的二维叠加。借助3D打印技术可突破传统催化材料成型方法局限,大大降低复杂几何形状规整催化材料的制造难度。其中3D规整催化材料的功能化处理与几何构型设计是影响规整催化材料催化性能的重要因素。综述了3D打印规整催化材料功能化及其强化反应传质的研究进展,讨论了传统规整催化材料成型工艺和3D打印成型工艺的技术特点,概述了3D打印规整催化材料直接功能化与后处理功能化(包括涂覆法和二次生长法)的制备策略,分析了3D打印规整催化材料的几何构型对反应传质的影响,为研发高性能3D打印规整催化材料提供参考。

工艺参数对UV色墨凹印过墨量的影响

为研究关键工艺参数对UV色墨凹印过墨量的影响,本研究对凹版印刷工艺参数与过墨量之间关系进行研究。首先通过梯度设置印刷参数并对印刷参数进行变量控制,其次利用赛鲁迪凹印机对紫云烟标进行印刷实验,最后对印刷样张进行称重。根据实验结果得出了加热温度(油墨黏度)、网穴深度、印刷压力、印刷速度与油墨转移率之间的关系以及UV色墨凹印烟标最佳工艺参数,即网穴深度60μm、加热温度65.3℃、印刷压力41.8psi、印刷速度160.3m/min,在该印刷参数下烟标印刷质量能达到企业要求。本研究为实现凹版印刷过墨量控制提供了理论支持。

基于胶膜转印的气动微阀及微流控芯片

微阀是微流控芯片的重要部件,然而现有的微阀存在加工复杂、不利于批量生产等缺点,限制了微流控芯片的应用范围。研发了基于胶膜转印的胶粘键合方法,采用聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯(PMMA)微流道和聚二甲硅氧烷(PDMS)柔性薄膜制备了带有气动微阀的微流控芯片。通过调节转印参数,在PDMS薄膜上可控地制备了厚度约为1μm胶膜,随后利用微米级的胶膜实现了PDMS薄膜与PMMA微流道层的胶粘键合,既避免了微流道的堵塞,又保证了微流道结构的精确性。设计并制备了由上层气体流道、中间柔性薄膜和下层液体流道构成的气动微阀,由上层气体流道内输入气压驱动PDMS薄膜向下层的液体流道变形以实现流体控制功能。构建了静力学模型分析微阀的关闭特性,根据薄膜变形的仿真结果优化微阀结构,确保微阀的有效截止。经测试,微阀具有优异的开关特性,关闭的响应时间为550ms,开启的响应时间为200ms。表征了不同气体和液体压强下的体积流量变化规律,验证了气动微阀可以实现对流体体积流量的精准调控。通过研发胶膜转印工艺实现了PMMA和PDMS的高效无损键合,开发了适合大规模制造的气动微阀,为微流控芯片进一步的实际应用开辟了新的途径。

基于微转印技术的金刚石上硅材料制备与表征

硅基电子器件在高温、高功率、射频领域应用时面临热管理的挑战。为解决其散热和射频损耗问题,采用微转印技术在常温常压下将单晶硅薄膜转移至金刚石衬底上,制备出新型集成电路材料——金刚石上硅(SOD)。实验结果表明,转移的单晶硅薄膜表面平整、无明显损伤,保持了其原有的完整性。透射电子显微镜的观察结果进一步显示,金刚石与硅之间的界面结合紧密,不存在纳米级间隙。界面热阻测试结果显示,SOD样品的有效界面热阻(R_(EI))为30.30m^(2)·K/GW,明显优于SOI样品的R_(EI)(376.78m^(2)·K/GW)。该研究验证了SOD材料在热管理方面的潜力,也为未来新型硅基器件的设计与应用提供了参考。

电路微导线激光驱动微滴喷射沉积打印

激光驱动微滴打印是一种高分辨率、高柔性和材料适应性广的金属微增材制造工艺,能实现纯金属微结构打印。面向电路微导线打印,目前的激光驱动微滴沉积工艺规律认识还不清晰。因此基于纳秒光纤激光驱动微滴打印系统,实现了直径5μm的铜微滴阵列的沉积,沉积位置偏差为±5μm。研究不同工艺参数下的激光驱动微滴沉积微导线形貌,发现由于存在微滴沉积位置偏差,交替沉积策略比微滴顺序沉积更适合打印微导线;当沉积微滴搭接间距减至1.5μm时,可形成联通的导线打印;微滴转移间距从50μm增至200μm,打印微导线的线宽增加约2倍;实现线宽为15μm的微导线打印,并通过四探针法测试获得的微导线电阻率为实体材料的9倍。

翼型肋片印刷电路板式换热器内超临界甲烷的流动与换热性能

针对超临界甲烷在翼型肋片印刷电路板式换热器内的流动和换热性能开展了数值模拟。对比了6种不同型号NACA00 XX翼型肋片的流动和换热性能;研究了翼型肋片均匀分布时,交错、垂直和水平间距3种布局参数对流动和换热性能的影响;设计了3种前疏后密和3种前密后疏的不均匀分布形式的翼型肋片,将流动和换热性能与均匀分布的进行了对比分析。结果表明:NACA0025翼型肋片的综合性能最佳;翼型肋片均匀分布时,无量纲交错间距和无量纲垂直间距分别为1和4时综合性能最佳;翼型肋片非均匀分布时,前密后疏分布的综合性能优于均匀分布的,而前疏后密分布的综合性能劣于均匀分布的;保持翼型肋片数量不变,在拟临界点附近布置更密的翼型肋片能够强化综合性能。