i Sol-gel ink to print nanoscale features ~ nanoall - Nanotechnology Blog

2/10/09

Sol-gel ink to print nanoscale features

Although sol-gel processing is under intense world-wide investigation, the vast majority of interest in this technique is concerned with synthesis of engineering ceramics. Sol-gel has not been widely applied to other applications. Sol-gel based inks are used to decorate ceramic articles by continuous ink-jet printing. These inks contain major components of the colour in the form of a colloidal aqueous sol which dries to a gel after printing and is then converted to the coloured decoration on firing. The inks require a liquid coagulation reservoir. The ink can be printed directly onto the ceramic, or printed onto paper and applied as a gel transfer. A new sol-gel ink has been developed by researchers at Illinois to print into patterns to produce three-dimensional structures of metal oxides with nanoscale features opening a new avenue to functional devices with potential applications in micro-fuel cells, photonic crystals and gas sensors and can be used for heterogeneous integration with other manufacturing techniques to create complex, functional devices composed of many different materials and to directly pattern defects in three-dimensional structures for use as photonic crystals. According to the researchers after the structures have been assembled, they can be converted to the desired functional oxide phase by heating at elevated temperature. Titanium dioxide, which possesses high refractive index and interesting electrical properties, is one material the researchers have successfully produced.

0 Responses to “Sol-gel ink to print nanoscale features”

Post a Comment

All Rights Reserved nanoall - Nanotechnology Blog