Printing electronics using solution-based nano-materials is a particularly desirable path towards flexible electronics. Printing is a type of additive manufacturing, which is a “bottom-up” manufacturing approach that does not rely on expensive, fragile crystalline wafers as the starting material for electronic devices. In our lab, we use inkjet printing: a pattern is generated digitally and individual drops of liquid ink are deposited onto a thin, flexible, plastic substrate to create that pattern – no mask or etching required!
