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Published Online February 12, 2009
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1168375

Reports

Submitted on November 11, 2008
Accepted on January 27, 2009

Omnidirectional Printing of Flexible, Stretchable, and Spanning Silver Microelectrodes

Bok Y. Ahn 1, Eric B. Duoss 1, Michael J. Motala 2, Xiaoying Guo 1, Sang-Il Park 1, Yujie Xiong 1, Jongseung Yoon 1, Ralph G. Nuzzo 2, John A. Rogers 3, Jennifer A. Lewis 1*

1 Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
2 Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.; Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
3 Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.; Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Jennifer A. Lewis , E-mail: jalewis{at}illinois.edu

Flexible, stretchable, and spanning microelectrodes that carry signals from one circuit element to another are needed for many emerging forms of electronic and optoelectronic devices. We have patterned silver microelectrodes by omnidirectional printing of concentrated nanoparticle inks in both uniform and high aspect ratio motifs with minimum widths of ~2 µm onto semiconductor, plastic, and glass substrates. The patterned microelectrodes can withstand repeated bending and stretching to large levels of strain with minimal degradation of their electrical properties. Using this approach, wire bonding to fragile 3D devices and spanning interconnects for solar cell and light emitting diode arrays are demonstrated.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
From the Cover: Two- and three-dimensional folding of thin film single-crystalline silicon for photovoltaic power applications.
X. Guo, H. Li, B. Yeop Ahn, E. B. Duoss, K. J. Hsia, J. A. Lewis, and R. G. Nuzzo (2009)
PNAS 106, 20149-20154
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)