Towards Printed Electronic Devices: Large-Scale Processing Methods for Conducting Polyaniline

摘要

In this work, five different patterning methods were developed to demonstrate the processing possibilities of polyaniline (PANI). Two different dopants, camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) and dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA), were used to achieve PANI with high electrical conductivity that was soluble in various solvents. These solutions were used as printing inks in the processing. PANI was used in step-by-step methods such as UV lithography and nanoimprinting lithography (NIL). The continuous methods used were rotogravure printing (GRAVURE), flexographic printing (FLEXO) and roll-to-roll nanoimprinting lithography (rrNIL). Dimensions from the submicrometre to the millimetre scale were demonstrated in both processing routes. The functionality of PANI within the studied methods is compared and problems in scaling up to high-volume manufacturing are discussed.