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There’s no doubt that we will soon be seeing a lot more in the way of low-cost electronic circuits that have been printed onto common, flexible materials such as plastic, paper or fabric. One of the key technological innovations making this possible is silver ink, which is used to print these circuits’ conductors. While such ink usually incorporates particles of silver suspended in a carrier liquid, a new type of ink created at the University of Illinois forgoes the particle approach, and is said to offer some distinct advantages as a result.
Developed by a team led by Prof. Jennifer Lewis, the new ink is a transparent solution of silver acetate dissolved in ammonia. When printed, its liquid component quickly evaporates, leaving behind lines of dry, conductive silver.
