Flexible manufacturing of functional ceramic coatings by inkjet printing

The implementation of chemical solution depositionmethodology with drop on demand inkjet printing technology demonstrates being a highly flexible and low-cost method for functional oxide production. This paper discusses drop formation and drop volume control in terms of mechanical concerns. Printing parameters such as drop pitch and drop volume are adjusted for continuous track formation to establish the limits for bead stability and the minimum width achievable. YBa2Cu3O7-x precursor solutions are developed and their rheological and wetting parameters are precisely controlled to obtain high-quality patterned and continuous biaxial textured superconducting coatings. Highly homogeneous tracks, 250 nm thick and 150 mu m wide, are obtained to demonstrate the suitability of this methodology to achieve patterned coatings. Besides, high-quality films with tuneable thickness up to 600 nm are obtained and critical current densities as high as 3 . 10(6) A cm(-2) at 77 K and self field are achieved. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.