Recently, low-cost electronics printed on lightweight, flexible and 3D shaped substrates are gaining importance in the markets of wearables and smart packaging. However, printed electronics do not meet the electrical performance of subtractive techniques because the resistivity of metallic printed patterns is still much higher than that of bulk material. To fulfil this need, low-resistive and easy printable inks for high resolution printed electronics techniques are needed. In this work, parameters of silver nanoparticles ink for micro-scale printed electronics technique, Aerosol Jet Printing, are being enhanced. To increase electrical conductivity and enhance printability, surfactants and dispersing agents were used to increase ultrasonic atomisation efficiency, obtain a uniform structure of printed lines, and narrow the width of printed patterns. Electrical measurements show a decrease in resistivity value in samples enhanced by cationic and non-ionic surfactants, by 95%, compared to initially prepared inks. Surfactant additions to silver nanoparticles Aerosol Jet Printing ink show promising features for application in modern electronics.

Stretchable polymer composites are a new group of materials with a wide range of application possibilities in wearable electronics. The purpose of this study was to fabricate stretchable electroluminescent (EL) structures using developed polymer compositions, based on multiple different nanomaterials: luminophore nanopowders, dielectric, carbon nanotubes, and conductive platelets. The multi-layered EL structures have been printed directly on textiles using screen printing technology. During research, the appropriate rheological properties of the developed composite pastes, and their suitability for printed electronics, have been confirmed. The structure that has been created from the developed materials has been tested in terms of its mechanical strength and resistance to washing or ironing.

Today, a microprinted electronics circuits are gaining more and more importance, but still printed electronic devices such as transistors or OLEDs are unstable in air and shows a poor performance. Moreover, printed microelectronic elements do not meet quality and high-reliability requirements, essential in electronics applications. To fulfill these needs, hybrid electronic circuits, combining printed technology, and surface-mount technology, are recommended. This approach gets advantages from both methods:Surface-mount devices (SMD) elements provide a high device functionality whereas a printed pattern ensures the device flexibility and efficiency. In this work, silver nanoparticle-based aerosol jet ink (AgNP ink) is used to realize the approach of a hybrid circuit with aerosol jet printed pads and surface-mount devices. The ultrasonic atomization process ensures the high printing resolution and appropriate line formation. Electrical and mechanical characterization was performed to present the connection performance and quality. Cross section view and morphological inspection explain the joint high quality and good performance. Resistance characterization presents the high current conductance comparable with connections made by silver epoxy or ink-jet printing. Shear test results show an excellent connection strength complying with USA Military Standard. Finally, a flexible hybrid conductance touch sensor is manufactured, demonstrating the feasibility of the presented assembling solution.

Ninety percent of high temperature electronic devices operate in temperatures in the range of 150 to 300 °C, and for such temperature needs, technologies typical for the military range might be adapted. To make it possible, new joining techniques are developed, one of them is use of pastes with silver nanoparticles sintered with low temperature joining technique. Silver sintered joints have three times higher thermal conductivity and five times lower electrical resistivity than typical solders, while being able to operate in temperatures reaching 350 °C. In this paper, the authors show the impact of additions of carbon nanoparticles on joints prepared in low temperature joining technology (LTJT). The authors prove that an addition of few percent of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) or carbon nanotubes (CNTs) improves joints mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties, while ensuring proper rheology of pastes.