Final Year project
BALANCING THE PRINTABILITY AND FINAL PERFORMANCE OF NANOCOMPOSITE CONDUCTIVE INKJET INKS
ABSTRACT
An investigation into the printability and final performance of a set of bio-based carbon fibre conductive inkjet inks was performed. Triton X-100 and various concentrations of glycol is used to influence the dispersion of carbon fibre throughout the ink, and the shelf life of the ink. These additives were also used to influence the surface profile and resistivity of printed samples. The optimal concentration of glycol was found to be 10.09%. Ink containing glycol at this level was found to have to most consistent distribution of carbon fibre throughout printed shapes, improved shelf life, significantly improved surface profile uniformity, and has relatively low resistance. Samples were treated in a plasma oven to remove impurities. Using a four point probe, it was found that the resistance of these treated samples had decreased by a factor of 10,000.
In collaboration with;
Dr Jonathan Stringer
Ryan Welsh