Open Access

We report the synthesis of AgNP@PEDOT:PSS hybrid conductive particles with silver cores and polythiophene shells that can be used to formulate sinter-free inks for printing electronics. First, Ag nanocrystals capped with the weakly bound ligand aminohexanoic acid (ε-Ahx) are prepared. The ligand shell is exchanged by reacting the dispersion with the polymer ionomer mixture poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). The particles are characterized by electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Z potential, and Raman spectroscopy, confirming the replacement of the ligands on the metal particle surface. The resulting dispersion is colloidally stable as confirmed by DLS. Inks with a solid content of the hybrid particles of 300 mg mL−1 were prepared and deposited on different substrates. The new particles are components for hybrid inks that become electrically conductive without any chemical or thermal post-deposition treatment. We show that silver-based hybrid inks can be deposited on different substrates and possess an average conductivity after 24 h of drying at room temperature of 1.726 × 106 S m−1 ± 0.326 × 106 S m−1, only one order of magnitude lower than elemental silver and within the same order of magnitude as their gold ink counterpart.

The development of hierarchically porous block copolymer (BCP) membranes via the application of the self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation (SNIPS) process is one important achievement in BCP science in the last decades. In this work, we present the synthesis of polyacrylonitrile-containing amphiphilic BCPs and their unique microphase separation capability, as well as their applicability for the SNIPS process leading to isoporous integral asymmetric membranes. Poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile)-b-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)s (PSAN-b-PHEMA) are synthesized via a two-step atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) procedure rendering PSAN copolymers and BCPs with overall molar masses of up to 82 kDa while maintaining low dispersity index values in the range of Đ = 1.13–1.25. The polymers are characterized using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and NMR spectroscopy. Self-assembly capabilities in the bulk state are examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. The fabrication of isoporous integral asymmetric membranes is investigated, and membranes are examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The introduction of acrylonitrile moieties within the membrane matrix could improve the membranes’ mechanical properties, which was confirmed by nanomechanical analysis using atomic force microscopy (AFM).

Printed electronic paper identifies its interest in flexible organic electronics and sustainable and clean energy applications because of its straightforward production method, cost-effectiveness, and positive environmental impact. However, current limitations include restricted material thickness and the use of supporting substrate for printing. Here, 2D and 3D electronic patterned paper are fabricated from direct ink writing (DIW) nanocellulose and PEDOT:PSS-based materials using syringe deposition and 3D printing. The conductor patterns are integrated in the bulk of the paper, while non-conductive sections are used as support to form free-standing paper. The strong interface between the patterns of electronic patterned paper gives mechanical stability for practical handling. The conductive paper-based electrode has 202 S cm−1 and is capable of handling electric current up to 0.7 A, which can be used for high-power devices. Printed supercapacitor papers show high specific energy of 4.05 Wh kg−1, specific power of 4615 W kg−1 at 0.06 A g−1, and capacitance retention above 95% after 2000 cycles. The new design structure of electronic patterned papers presents a solution for additive manufacturing of paper-based composites for supercapacitors, wearable electronics, or sensors for smart packaging.

Compósitos cerâmicos planares de titanato zirconato de bário, BaTi1-xZrxO3, foram produzidos e os efeitos da quantidade de Zr4+ em suas propriedades funcionais foram estudados. As amostras foram fabricadas pelo método convencional de processamento cerâmico e pela técnica de deposição de fitas cerâmicas a partir de BaTi1-xZrxO3 com x=0, 0,05, 0,1, 0,15 e 0,2 sintetizados pelo método hidrotermal e pelo método dos precursores poliméricos. Foram realizadas caracterizações estrutural (difração de Raios X pelo método do pó e espectroscopia Raman), composicional (espectroscopia por dispersão de energia), microestrutural (microscopia eletrônica de varredura, ensaios de dilatometria) e funcional (permissividade elétrica, coeficiente piezoelétrico d33, coeficiente piroelétrico e histerese ferroelétrica). Além disso, a regra da mistura de fase foi utilizada para prever a permissividade elétrica dos compósitos e as tensões mecânicas internas e seus efeitos na permissividade elétrica e na temperatura de Curie de policristais de BaTiO3 foram simulados. As análises dos dados e as discussões foram realizadas considerando o modelo fenomenológico de Devonshire, a modificação de Forsbergh deste modelo para incluir efeitos de tensões mecânicas bidimensionais e o modelo de policristal tetragonal de BaTiO3 sugerido por Buessem. Os resultados mostram a existência de tensões residuais bidimensionais que surgem após o resfriamento dos compósitos devido às diferenças nos coeficientes de expansão térmica das fases constituintes. Os métodos de obtenção das amostras afetaram o tamanho final dos grãos e as espessuras das interfaces dos compósitos, sendo que, em geral, eles são menores e mais finos nas fitas cerâmicas homogêneas do que nas correspondentes cerâmicas homogêneas. Os compósitos apresentaram deslocamento da Tc para maiores temperaturas e aumento do grau de difusividade da transição. A presença das tensões mecânicas residuais e as características microestruturais, juntamente com os modelos utilizados, explicam qualitativamente a permissividade elétrica obtida. Concluí-se que a quantidade de Zr4+ modifica o comportamento das camadas durante a sinterização e altera o coeficiente de dilatação. Estas mudanças geram tensões mecânicas residuais que afetam a microestrutura e as propriedades funcionais dos compósitos. Portanto, a produção de compósitos cerâmicos ferroelétricos deve considerar a correlação existente entre microestrutura e tensões residuais para que suas propriedades sejam otimizadas.

We report on the unusual, advantageous ageing of flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) that were self-assembled from oleylamine-capped gold nanospheres (AuNPs) by direct nanoimprinting of inks with different particle concentrations (cAu = 3 mg mL−1 to 30 mg mL−1). The resulting lines were less than 2.5 μm wide and consisted of disordered particle assemblies. Small-Angle X-ray Scattering confirmed that particle packing did not change with ink concentration. Plasma sintering converted the printed structures into lines with a thin, electrically conductive metal shell and a less conductive hybrid core. We studied the opto-electronic performance directly after plasma sintering and after fourteen days of storage at 22 °C and 55% rH in the dark. The mean optical transmittance [T with combining macron]400–800 in the range from 400 nm to 800 nm increased by up to ≈ 3%, while the sheet resistance Rsh strongly decreased by up to ≈ 82% at all concentrations. We correlated the changes with morphological changes visible in scanning and transmission electron microscopy and identified two sequential ageing stages: (I) post-plasma relaxation effects in and consolidation of the shell, and (II) particle re-organization, de-mixing, coarsening, and densification of the core with plating of Au from the core onto the shell, followed by solid-state de-wetting (ink concentrations cAu < 15 mg mL−1) or stability (cAu ≥ 15 mg mL−1). The plating of Au from the hybrid core improved the FTEs' Figure of Merit FOM = [T with combining macron]400–800·Rsh−1 by up to ≈ 5.8 times and explains the stable value of ≈ 3.3%·Ωsq−1 reached after 7 days of ageing at cAu = 30 mg mL−1.