Printability and Electrical Conductivity of UV Curable MWCNT Ink

摘要

Composites reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in a photosensitive acrylic matrix were successfully synthesized and their printing, rheological, and electrical behavior was characterized. The shape of the reinforcement MWCNT particles was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. The MWCNT were mixed in the acrylic polymer at increasing concentrations until the percolation threshold was determined at 2 wt.% with a conductivity of 4.26 x 10(-4) S/cm. The large increase in viscosity with addition of MWCNT showed the need for a printing system capable of dispensing solutions of up to 613 x 10(3) cp. Lines were printed with a precision dispensing system mounted in computer controlled x-y-z stages, while an integrated ultraviolet light emission diode dot with a single wavelength of 385 nm cured seconds after the ink was dispensed. The wetting properties of the composite with respect to polyester, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, and paper films were analyzed with a goniometer. The relationship between the contact angle, pattern accuracy, and electrical conductivity was determined for each substrate.