2d-Material Dispersion and Printing: From Laboratory to Commercial Scale

Functional printing is a low-cost, high-throughput method of production. Incorporating two-dimensional (2d)-materials into inks suited for mature printing techniques has emerged as a viable method for cost-effective and large-scale device fabrication. Many demonstrations are conducted on a small scale, but successful upscaling that would enable the ubiquitous uptake of printing for fabrication, has seldom been reported. The ability to produce 2d-materials dispersions on a large scale is required to be able to produce the volume of ink required to keep up with commercial-scale printing. When such a process is scaled up, the sustainability of the process becomes a such greater issue, with factors such as the type and amount of waste associated with the process considerably complicating its use on the large scale. Since the first 2d-material printing in 2012, the majority of demonstrations are laboratoryscale inkjet printing, as it facilitates rapid prototyping and only requires a small volume of ink. Other printing techniques have been neglected despite their clear advantages such as high printing speed and throughput. The viability of 2d-material printing has seen demonstrated, with different applications explored, but there is a need to translate these methods to roll-toroll (R2R) systems more suited to commercial-scale printing. Largely, demonstrations have used conducting or semiconducting 2d-materials is there is less emphasis on the passive dielectric components of devices. Wide bandgap 2d-materials can be used for dielectric layers in printed electronics. Also, there are very few demonstrations of conformal printing on three-dimensional-objects, which can introduce functionality to otherwise inert surfaces. My PhD first focuses on a means to exfoliate 2d-materials on a large scale by developing a simple, low-waste, and efficient method making it appealing for commercial-scale 2dmaterial ink formulation. I explore possible applications of different 2d-materials, utilising the advantages of small-scale printing techniques. I move on to medium-scale techniques, first through the development of a dielectric ink, enhanced through the addition of a 2d-material nanofiller, deposited using k-bar coating. I then formulate a conductive graphene screen printing ink and use it to print patterns on a sacrificial layer to allow water-assisted conformal printing on 3d-objects. I turn my attention to large-scale, R2R printing of 2d-material ink. I present a commercial-scale flexographic printing demonstration of a graphene-enhanced ink at 100 m.min−1. This is followed by the development of a R2R system, to fully print a perovskite solar cell. This concludes my doctoral research with a through line ranging from small, laboratory-scale through to large, commercial-scale 2d-material device fabrication.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Cambridge

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Macadam, Nasiruddin

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Hasan, Tawfique

• 2d-materials
• Printing
• Inkjet
• Screen
• Flexographic
• Exfoliation
• Additive manufacturing
• Ink formulation

Licence

• https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/ab873e19-c9e9-4678-84ad-12a083156685/download
• https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/

Language dc:language

eng

DOI dc:identifier.doi

https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.100554

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/354785