One of the greatest technological advances in human history is the ability to print text onto paper. And now, thanks to Tennessee University College of Engineering Assistant Professor Anming Hu, is the technology itself to be printed on the paper.
Professor Hu, of the Institute of mechanical, aeronautical and biomedical engineering, has found a way to print circuitry onto paper. The main impact of this technology lies in the fact that in the near future, the cost of manufacturing any electronic device will be greatly reduced, and the portability will increase significantly.
"You can design the circuitry you need, then print it, and with this ability you can achieve faster, more timely circuit design, simpler controls, and lower costs," says Professor Hu. "At the time you need, the ability to print the circuitry you need can revolutionize many things."."
One of the greatest advances that this technology can make may occur in the medical field. At present, countless people suffer from diseases or sufferings, so they often need to see a doctor or have a medical test. With diabetes, they rely on the finger prick blood daily to detect blood sugar content. The paper has a sealed circuit sheath liquid tight, the future can put the sensor into the circuit with a paper such these patients a day, then we can not only detect what when blood sugar levels deviated from the normal value, also can be in need to inject insulin signal in vivo.
The ability to develop an impermeable closed system with built-in power will pave the way for progress in many medical fields." Professor Hu says. "At present, the focus of the study is on how to design circuitry to make the circuit smaller."
Trying to figure out how the circuit printed system developed by Professor Hu works, the simplest way is to use an inkjet printer to simulate, but it is liquid metal that comes out of the oil cartridge. Professor Hu and his team tested more than 30 different kinds of paper before they realized that standard inkjet printing paper was as effective and cheap as any other paper. On the other hand, the metals they use are the most common. "We used silver blocks to make nanowires," says Professor Hu. "Compared to the" normal "way of making electronic circuits, silver is still very cheap and far more durable than copper because copper is very easy to oxidize." Professor Hu and his team have the ability to fold a paper thin circuit 5000 times without damage to its high degree of functionality without worrying about the durability of the finished product.
Although the most common influence of such circuitry may be embodied in medical use, its flexibility and ease of use mean that all electronic products can benefit from it. "In the long run, the global use of this technology will drive the development process," says Professor Hu. "But for the time being, we will focus on improving the operating mechanism of this new type of print technology, developing multiple jet printing."."
In the future, paper based electronic sensors are likely to slash prices for many medical devices, ranging from robot helpers to diagnostic testing tools. By printing ink directly onto paper, scientists have developed a faster, cheaper way to make sensors. Their findings are published in the Journal American Chemical Society Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Professor Hu Anming and colleagues point out that because the paper is easy to get in the world within the scope of low price, make it become the best carrier of electronic components can be folded slightly, and almost can be manufactured in any place, in any place. In fact, scientists have already produced paper based instant diagnostic tools and portable DNA detectors. But these instruments require both complex and expensive manufacturing techniques. Silver nanowire inks are highly conductive and stable, providing a more practical solution. Professor Hu and his team hope to develop a technology, directly to the metallic ink printing paper to make such a sensor and sensor, and can respond to touch or other specific molecules such as glucose.
The researchers developed a printing system that prints a silver ink pattern onto paper in a matter of minutes and then hardens it with a camera flash. Even if bent, folded repeatedly, unfolded 15 times, rolled repeatedly, spread 5000 times, the printed sensor can still respond to the touch. The team finally concluded that their printed, durable and lightweight sensors could be applied to many applications.
