SBIR Phase I: Inkjet Printed Nanotube Inks for Rapid Prototyping

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop inkjet printable carbon nanotube inks for rapid prototyping of electronics and displays. LCDs, touch screens, and next generation solar cells all require transparent conductive coatings to conduct electricity while allowing light to pass into or out of the device. Inkjet printing allows direct, rapid patterning of electronic components. If successful, this project will have a profound impact on the printed electronics and the displays industries. Direct additively patterned nanotube coatings will replace subtractive lithographically patterned transparent conductors. In turn, device designers will be able to rapidly design, create, and test functional prototypes of touch screens, flexible displays, solar cells, organic LEDs, and printed electronics. Using the proposed nanotube inks, functional prototypes will be made in record time at minimum cost. This paradigm shift in device design will lead to faster progress in new printed electronics, as well as adoption of new materials that will lead to brighter, lighter, cheaper, and even flexible displays.