A new method of applying conductive ink to organic substrate using a rollerball pen, has been developed by US researchers.
The process, discovered by scientists at the University of Illinois, could allow product designers to create simple one-off circuits, which are cheap and disposable, and quick to create. A report on the RSC website states that the ink, made from silver nanoparticles produced in solution with a capping agent to prevent them growing too big, has been tailored to allow it to flow through a standard rollerball.
The pen has also been able to write on wood and ceramics, and is seen as a step towards low cost desktop manufacturing by its creators.
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RSC report
Rollerball writes electronics straight to paper
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