3D printed electronics with nanomaterials

A large variety of printing, deposition and writing techniques have been incorporated to fabricate electronic devices in the last decades. This approach, printed electronics, has gained great interest in research and practical applications and is successfully fuelling the growth in materials science and technology. On the other hand, a new player is emerging, additive manufacturing, called 3D printing, introducing a new capability to create geometrically complex constructs with low cost and minimal material waste. Having such tremendous technology in our hands, it was just a matter of time to combine advances of printed electronics technology for the fabrication of unique 3D structural electronics. Nanomaterial patterning with additive manufacturing techniques can enable harnessing their nanoscale properties and the fabrication of active structures with unique electrical, mechanical, optical, thermal, magnetic and biological properties. In this paper, we will briefly review the properties of selected nanomaterials suitable for electronic applications and look closer at the current achievements in the synergistic integration of nanomaterials with additive manufacturing technologies to fabricate 3D printed structural electronics. The focus is fixed strictly on techniques allowing as much as possible fabrication of spatial 3D objects, or at least conformal ones on 3D printed substrates, while only selected techniques are adaptable for 3D printing of electronics. Advances in the fabrication of conductive paths and circuits, passive components, antennas, active and photonic components, energy devices, microelectromechanical systems and sensors are presented. Finally, perspectives for development with new nanomaterials, multimaterial and hybrid techniques, bioelectronics, integration with discrete components and 4D-printing are briefly discussed.

Multidentate Molecule Anchoring Halide Perovskite Surface and Regulating Crystallization Kinetics toward Efficient Light-Emitting Diodes

Functional passivators are conventionally utilized in modifying the crystallization properties of perovskites to minimize the non-radiative recombination losses in perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs). However, the weak anchor ability of some commonly adopted molecules has limited passivation ability to perovskites and even may desorb from the passivated defects in a short period of time, which bring about plenty of challenges for further development of high-performance PeLEDs. Here, a multidentate molecule, formamidine sulfinic acid (FSA), is introduced as a novel passivator to perovskites. FSA has multifunctional groups (S≐O, C≐N and NH₂ ) where the S≐O and C≐N groups enable coordination with the lead ions and the NH₂ interacts with the bromide ions, thus providing the most effective chemical passivation for defects and in turn the formation of highly stable perovskite emitters. Moreover, the interaction between the FSA and octahedral [PbBr₆ ]^4- can inhibit the formation of unfavorable low-n domains to further minimize the inefficient energy transfer inside the perovskite emitters. Therefore, the FSA passivated green-emitting PeLED exhibits a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 26.5% with fourfold enhancement in operating lifetime as compared to the control device, consolidating that the multidentate molecule is a promising strategy to effectively and sustainably passivate the perovskites.

Printable inks and deformable electronic array devices

Deformable printed electronic array devices are expected to revolutionize next-generation electronics. However, although remarkable technological advances in printable inks and deformable electronic array devices have recently been achieved, technical challenges remain to commercialize these technologies. In this review article a brief introduction to printing methods highlighting significant research studies on ink formation for conductors, semiconductors, and insulators is provided, and the structural design and successful printing strategies of deformable electronic array devices are described. Successful device demonstrations are presented in the applications of passive- and active-matrix array devices. Finally, perspectives and technological challenges to be achieved are pointed out to print practically available deformable devices.

Stable and Efficient Blue-Emitting CsPbBr3 Nanoplatelets with Potassium Bromide Surface Passivation

Colloidal all-inorganic perovskites nanocrystals (NCs) have emerged as a promising material for display and lighting due to their excellent optical properties. However, blue emissive NCs usually suffer from low photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) and poor stability, rendering them the bottleneck for full-color all-perovskite optoelectronic applications. Herein, a facile approach is reported to enhance the emission efficiency and stability of blue emissive perovskite nano-structures via surface passivation with potassium bromide. By adding potassium oleate and excess PbBr₂ to the perovskite precursor solutions, potassium bromide-passivated (KBr-passivated) blue-emitting (≈450 nm) CsPbBr₃ nanoplatelets (NPLs) is successfully synthesized with a respectably high PLQY of 87%. In sharp contrast to most reported perovskite NPLs, no shifting in emission wavelength is observed in these passivated NPLs even after prolonged exposures to intense irradiations and elevated temperature, clearly revealing their excellent photo- and thermal-stabilities. The enhancements are attributed to the formation of K-Br bonding on the surface which suppresses ion migration and formation of Br-vacancies, thus improving both the PL emission and stability of CsPbBr₃ NPLs. Furthermore, all-perovskite white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) are successfully constructed, suggesting that the proposed KBr-passivated strategy can promote the development of the perovskite family for a wider range of optoelectronic applications.

Electronic effects of nano-confinement in functional organic and inorganic materials for optoelectronics

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the electronic effects of nano-confinement (from 1D to 3D geometries) on optoelectronic materials and their applications.

Interfacial control and design of conductive nanomaterials for transparent nanocomposite electrodes

A few critical issues in preparing transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) based on solution-processable conductive nanomaterials are their low electrical conductivity and the unfavorable trade-off between electrical conductivity and optical transparency, which are closely related to the organic ligands bound to the nanomaterial surface. In particular, bulky/insulating organic ligands bound to the surface of conductive nanomaterials unavoidably act as high contact resistance sites at the interfaces between neighboring nanomaterials, which adversely affects the charge transfer kinetics of the resultant TCEs. This article reviews the latest research status of various interfacial control approaches for solution-processable TCEs. We describe how these approaches can be effectively applied to conductive nanomaterials and how interface-controlled conductive nanomaterials can be employed to improve the electrical and/or electrochemical performance of various transparent nanocomposite electrodes, including TCEs, energy storage electrodes, and electrochromic electrodes. Last, we provide perspectives on the development direction for next-generation transparent nanocomposite electrodes and breakthroughs for significantly mitigating the complex trade-off between their electrical/electrochemical performance and optical transparency.

Layer-by-Layer Assembled Oxide Nanoparticle Electrodes with High Transparency, Electrical Conductivity, and Electrochemical Activity by Reducing Organic Linker-Induced Oxygen Vacancies

Solution-processable transparent conducting oxide (TCO) nanoparticle (NP)-based electrodes are limited by their low electrical conductivity, which originates from the low level of oxygen vacancies within NPs and the contact resistance between neighboring NPs. Additionally, these electrodes suffer from the troublesome trade-off between electrical conductivity and optical transmittance and the restricted shape of substrates (i.e., only flat substrates). An oxygen-vacancy-controlled indium tin oxide (ITO) NP-based electrode is introduced using carbon-free molecular linkers with strong chemically reducing properties. Specifically, ITO NPs are layer-by-layer assembled with extremely small hydrazine monohydrate linkers composed of two amine groups, followed by thermal annealing. This approach markedly improves the electrical conductivity of ITO NP-based electrodes by significantly increasing the level of oxygen vacancies and decreasing the interparticle distance (i.e., contact resistance) without sacrificing optical transmittance. The prepared electrodes surpass the optical/electrical performance of TCO NP-based electrodes reported to date. Additionally, the nanostructured ITO NP films can be applied to more complex geometric substrates beyond flat substrates, and furthermore exhibit a prominent electrochemical activity. This approach can provide an important basis for developing a wide range of highly functional transparent conducting electrodes.

Efficient Ni/Au Mesh Transparent Electrodes for ITO-Free Planar Perovskite Solar Cells

Indium thin oxide (ITO)-free planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs) were fabricated at a low temperature (150 °C) in this work based on the transparent electrode of photolithography processed nickel/gold (Ni/Au) mesh and the high conductivity polymer, PH1000. Ultrathin Au was introduced to increase the conductivity of metal mesh, and the optimal hexagonal Ni (30 nm)/Au (10 nm) mesh (line width of 5 μm) shows a transmittance close to 80% in the visible light region and a sheet resistance lower than 16.9 Ω/sq. The conductive polymer PH1000 not only smooths the raised surface of the metal mesh but also enhances the charge collection ability of metal mesh. The fabricated PSCs have the typical planar structure (glass/Ni-Au mesh/PH1000/PEDOT:PSS/MA_yFA_1−yPbI_xCl_3−x/PCBM/BCP/Ag) and the champion PSC (0.09 cm²) obtains a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.88%, negligible current hysteresis, steady current density and PCE outputs, and good process repeatability. Its photovoltaic performance and stability are comparable to the reference PSC based on the ITO electrodes (PCE = 15.70%), which demonstrates that the Ni/Au mesh transparent electrodes are a promising ITO alternative to fabricate efficient PSCs. The relatively lower performance of Ni/Au based PSC results from the relatively slower charge extraction and stronger charge recombination than the ITO based PSC. Further, we tried to fabricate the large area (1 cm²) device and achieve a PCE over 6% with negligible hysteresis and steady current density and PCE outputs. The improvements of perovskite film quality and interface modification should be an effective approach to further enhance the device performance of Ni/Au based PSCs, and the Ni/Au mesh electrode may find wider applications in PSCs and flexible devices.

Ethanol-Precipitable, Silica-Passivated Perovskite Nanocrystals Incorporated into Polystyrene Microspheres for Long-Term Storage and Reusage

Perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) are emerging luminescent materials due to their fascinating physic-optical properties. However, their sensitive surface chemistry with organic polar solvents, oxygen, and moisture greatly hinders their developments towards practical applications. Herein we promote silica-passivated PNCs (SP-PNCs) by in situ hydrolyzing the surface ligands of (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane. The resultant SP-PNCs possesses a high quantum yield (QY) of 80 % and are precipitable by polar solvents, such as ethanol and acetone, without destroying their surface chemistry or losing QY, which offers an eco-friendly and efficient method for separation, purification, and phase transfer of PNCs. Moreover, we further promoted a swelling-deswelling encapsulation process to incorporate the as-made SP-PNCs into non-crosslinked polystyrene microspheres (PMs), which can largely increase the stability of the SP-PNCs against moisture for long-term storage.

Tunable Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance and Broadband Visible Photoresponse of Cu Nanoparticles/ZnO Surfaces

Plasmonic Cu nanoparticles (NP) were successfully deposited on ZnO substrates by atomic layer deposition (ALD) owing to the Volmer-Weber island growth mode. An evolution from Cu NP to continuous Cu films was observed with an increasing number of ALD cycles. Real and imaginary parts of the NP dielectric functions, determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry using an effective medium approach, evidence a localized surface plasmon resonance that can be tuned between the visible and near-infrared ranges by controlling the interparticle spacing and size of the NP. The resulting Cu NP/ZnO device shows an enhanced photoresponse under white light illumination with good responsivity values, fast response times, and stability under dark/light cycles. The significant photocurrent detected for this device is related to the hot-electron generation at the NP surface and injection into the conduction band of ZnO. The possibility of tuning the plasmon resonance together with the photoresponsivity of the device is promising in many applications related to photodetection, photonics, and photovoltaics.

Nanowire network-based photodetectors with imaging performance for omnidirectional photodetecting through a wire-shaped structure

Wearable photodetectors (PDs) have attracted extensive attention from both scientific and industrial areas due to intrinsic detection abilities as well as promising applications in flexible, intelligent, and portable fields. However, most of the existing PDs have rigid planar or bulky structures which cannot fully meet the demands of these unique occasions. Here, we present a highly flexible, omnidirectional PD based on ZnO nanowire (NW) networks. ZnO NW network-based PDs exhibit the imageable level performance with an on/off ratio of about 104. Importantly, a ZnO NW network can be assembled onto wire-shaped substrates to construct omnidirectional PDs. As a result, the wire-shaped PDs have excellent flexibility, a large light on/off ratio larger than 103, and 360° no blind angle detecting. Besides, they exhibit extraordinary stability against bending and irradiation. These results demonstrate a novel strategy for building wire-shaped optoelectronic devices through a NW network structure, which is highly promising for future smart and wearable applications.

Fine-Tuned Multilayered Transparent Electrode for Highly Transparent Perovskite Light-Emitting Devices

The high photoluminescence quantum yield, wide color tunability and narrow bandwidth of perovskite nanocrystals make them favorable for light source and display applications. Here, highly transparent green-light-emitting devices (LEDs) using inorganic cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystal films as the emissive layer are reported. The effect of multilayered nanostructured transparent electrode on optical properties and performance within the LEDs is investigated by fine tuning layer thickness. The results show that the light transmission in visible region can be enhanced with this nanostructured film. These LEDs exhibited a high transmittance (average 73% over 400-700 nm) and high brightness of 2640 and 1572 cd m-2 for indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) cathode and MoO x /Au/MoO x anode sides, respectively.

Embedded Ag/Ni Metal-Mesh with Low Surface Roughness As Transparent Conductive Electrode for Optoelectronic Applications

Metal-mesh is one of the contenders to replace indium tin oxide (ITO) as transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) for optoelectronic applications. However, considerable surface roughness accompanying metal-mesh type of transparent electrodes has been the root cause of electrical short-circuiting for optoelectronic devices, such as organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and organic photovoltaic (OPV). In this work, a novel approach to making metal-mesh TCE has been proposed that is based on hybrid printing of silver (Ag) nanoparticle ink and electroplating of nickel (Ni). By polishing back the electroplated Ni, an extremely smooth surface was achieved. The fabricated Ag/Ni metal-mesh TCE has a surface roughness of 0.17 nm, a low sheet resistance of 2.1 Ω/□, and a high transmittance of 88.6%. The figure of merit is 1450, which is 30 times better than ITO. In addition, the Ag/Ni metal-mesh TCE shows outstanding mechanical flexibility and environmental stability at high temperature and humidity. Using the polished Ag/Ni metal-mesh TCE, a flexible quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) was fabricated with an efficiency of 10.4 cd/A and 3.2 lm/W at 1000 cd/m².

Low-Temperature Postfunctionalization of Highly Conductive Oxide Thin-Films toward Solution-Based Large-Scale Electronics

Although transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) have played a key role in a wide range of solid-state electronics from conventional optoelectronics to emerging electronic systems, the processing temperature and conductivity of solution-processed materials seem to be far exceeding the thermal limitations of soft materials and insufficient for high-perfomance large-area systems, respectively. Here, we report a strategy to form highly conductive and scalable solution-processed oxide materials and their successful translation into large-area electronic applications, which is enabled by photoassisted postfunctionalization at low temperature. The low-temperature fabrication of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin films was achieved by using photoignited combustion synthesis combined with photoassisted reduction process under hydrogen atmosphere. It was noteworthy that the photochemically activated hydrogens on ITO surface could be triggered to facilitate highly crystalline oxygen deficient structure allowing significant increase of carrier concentration and mobility through film microstructure modifications. The low-temperature postfunctionalized ITO films demonstrated conductivity of >1607 S/cm and sheet resistance of <104 Ω/□ under the process temperature of less than 300 °C, which are comparable to those of vacuum-deposited and high-temperature annealed ITO films. Based on the photoassisted postfunctionalization route, all-solution-processed transparent metal-oxide thin-film-transistors and large-area integrated circuits with the ITO bus lines were demonstrated, showing field-effect mobilities of >6.5 cm² V^-1 s^-1 with relatively good operational stability and oscillation frequency of more than 1 MHz in 7-stage ring oscillators, respectively.

An all-inkjet-printed flexible UV photodetector

In this work, a novel concept of the all-inkjet-printed flexible photodetectors based on ZnO nanocrystals with high performance was proposed and demonstrated with emphasis on the influence of different post-treatments including UV light irradiation and high temperature annealing. The photodetectors based on UV-treated ZnO nanocrystal films exhibit a responsivity and an on/off ratio as high as 0.14 A W^-1 and >10³, respectively, which are better than the thermally treated devices. The high performance of ZnO nanocrystal-based photodetectors originates from unique band-edge modulation among the nanoparticles, where the existence of Schottky barriers leads to a low dark current and gives rise to a fast photoelectric response. The photodetector is capable of 500 bending cycles, and almost no degradation is observed. The as-obtained all-printable devices open up the possibility of fabricating a low-cost, solution processed, flexible, and large-area integrated optoelectronic sensor circuitry for future practical applications.

Full-Spectral Fine-Tuning Visible Emissions from Cation Hybrid Cs1-mFAmPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, and I, 0 ≤ m ≤ 1) Quantum Dots

Full-color visible emissions are particularly crucial for applications in displays and lightings. In this work, we developed a facile room-temperature ligand-assisted supersaturated recrystallization synthesis of monodisperse, cubic structure Cs_1-mFA_mPbX₃ (X = Cl, Br, and I or their mixtures Cl/Br and Br/I, 0 ≤ m ≤ 1) hybrid perovskite quantum dots (QDs). Impressively, cation substitution of Cs⁺ by FA⁺ was beneficial in finely tuning the band gap and in exciton recombination kinetics, improving the structural stability, and raising the absolute quantum yields up to 85%. With further assistance of anion replacement, full-spectral visible emissions in the wavelength range of 450-750 nm; narrow full width at half-maxima, and a wide color gamut, encompassing 130% of National Television System Committee television color standard, were achieved. Finally, Cs_1-mFA_mPbX₃-polymer films retaining multicolor luminescence are prepared and a prototype white light-emitting diode device was constructed using green Cs_0.1FA_0.9PbBr₃ and red Cs_0.1FA_0.9Br_1.5I_1.5 QDs as color converters, certainly suggesting their potential applications in the optoelectronics field.

Inorganic nanomaterials for printed electronics: a review

Owing to their capability of bypassing conventional high-priced and inflexible silicon based electronics to manufacture a variety of devices on flexible substrates by using large-scale and high-volume printing techniques, printed electronics (PE) have attracted increasing attention in the field of manufacturing industry for electronic devices. This simple and cost-effective approach could enhance current methods of constructing a patterned surface for nanomaterials and offer opportunities for developing fully-printed functional devices, especially offering the possibility of ubiquitous low-cost and flexible devices. This review presents a summary of work to date on the inorganic nanomaterials involved in PE applications, focused on the utilization of inorganic nanomaterials-based inks in the successful preparation of printed conductive patterns, electrodes, sensors, thin film transistors (TFTs) and other micro-/nanoscale devices. The printing techniques, sintering methods and printability of functional inks with their associated challenges are discussed, and we look forward so you can glimpse the future of PE applications.

Shape Controlled Plasmonic Sn Doped CdO Colloidal Nanocrystals: A Synthetic Route to Maximize the Figure of Merit of Transparent Conducting Oxide

The synthesis of different anisotropic shaped (eight different shapes) Sn⁴⁺ doped CdO (Sn:CdO) colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) by precise tuning of precursor reactivity and proper choice of capping agent is reported. In all these systems, formation of Sn:CdO quantum dots (QDs) of 2-3 nm is identified at very early stage of reaction. The colloidally stable QDs act as a continuous source for the formation of primary nanoparticles that can be transformed selectively into specific type of nanoparticle morphology. The specific facet stabilization of fcc (face centered cubic)CdO is predicted by particular choice of ligand. Fine tuning of plasmonic absorbance band can be achieved by variation of Sn⁴⁺ doping concentration. Different anisotropic Sn:CdO NCs exhibit interesting shape dependent plasmonic absorbance features in NIR region. High quality crack free uniform dense thin film has been deposited on glass substrate to make high quality transparent conducting oxide (TCO) coatings. figure of merit of TCO can be maximized as high as 0.523 Ω^-1 with conductivity of 43 600 S cm^-1 and visible transmittance of ≈85% which is much higher than commercially available tin doped indium oxide and other transparent electrodes.

Inkjet-printed optoelectronics

Inkjet printing is a powerful and cost-effective technique for deposition of liquid inks with high accuracy, which is not only of great significance for graphic applications but also has enormous potential for the direct printing of optoelectronic devices. This review highlights a comprehensive overview of the progress that has been made in optoelectronics fabrication by the inkjet printing technique. The first part briefly covers the droplet-generation process in the nozzles of printheads and the physical properties affecting droplet formation and the profiles of the printed patterns. The second section outlines the recent activities related to applications of inkjet printing in optoelectronics fabrication including solar cells, light-emitting diodes, photodetectors and transparent electrodes. In each application field, the challenges with the inkjet printing process and the possible solutions are discussed before a few remarks. In the last section, a brief summary on the progress of inkjet printing fabrication of optoelectronics and an outlook for future research effort are presented.

Photon Driven Transformation of Cesium Lead Halide Perovskites from Few-Monolayer Nanoplatelets to Bulk Phase

Influence of light exposure on cesium lead halide nanostructures has been explored. A discovery of photon driven transformation (PDT) in 2D CsPbBr₃ nanoplatelets is reported, in which the quantum-confined few-monolayer nanoplatelets will convert to bulk phase under very low irradiation intensity (≈20 mW cm^-2 ). Benefiting from the remarkable emission color change during PDT, the multicolor luminescence photopatterns and facile information photo-encoding are established.

Monolayer and Few-Layer All-Inorganic Perovskites as a New Family of Two-Dimensional Semiconductors for Printable Optoelectronic Devices

Printed flexible photodetectors based on 2D inorganic perovskites with atomic thickness show excellent photosensing with fast rise and decay response times. As-synthesized nanosheets can easily be dispersed in various solvents, leading to large-area, crack-free, low-roughness, flexible films after printing. This study demonstrates that all-inorganic perovskite CsPbX3 nanosheets as a new class of 2D semiconductors have huge potential for flexible optoelectronic applications.

Highly crystalline Ni/NiO hybrid electrodes processed by inkjet printing and laser-induced reductive sintering under ambient conditions

In this study, we perform drop-on-demand (DOD) inkjet printing and laser reductive sintering of precrystallized NiO nanoparticle (NP) ink under ambient conditions to obtain NiO/Ni hybrid electrode patterns on a highly localized area. By formulating an inkjet-printable and laser-reducible NiO NP ink, and by exploring the optimum conditions of inkjet printing parameters, we generate stable droplets, enabling arbitrary shapes of NiO NP dot arrays or line patterns to be deposited. Subsequent short-time low-temperature sintering produces highly crystalline NiO electrodes. Furthermore, laser reductive sintering applied on deposited NiO NP patterns can successfully realize a selective transformation of NiO into Ni electrodes under ambient conditions. Therefore, we can define either NiO or Ni electrodes, or a combination of the two on specific areas with precise amounts of ink. In addition, we identify the characteristics of the synthesized NPs, NP ink, NiO and Ni electrodes using various analytical methods.

Nickel concentration-dependent opto-electrical performances and stability of Cu@CuNi nanowire transparent conductors

Compared to monometallic counterparts, core–shell structured nanowires may possess additional performances or even new properties because of synergistic effects between two components.

Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Inorganic Perovskite Cesium Lead Halides (CsPbX3 )

Novel quantum-dot light-emitting diodes based on all-inorganic perovskite CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) nanocrystals are reported. The well-dispersed, single-crystal quantum dots (QDs) exhibit high quantum yields, and tunable light emission wavelength. The demonstration of these novel perovskite QDs opens a new avenue toward designing optoelectronic devices, such as displays, photodetectors, solar cells, and lasers.