Fabrication of Electronics by Electrohydrodynamic Jet Printing

Electrohydrodynamic jet (e-jet) printing technology overcomes some limitations such as the viscosity and resolution of the traditional ink-jet printing by breaking surface tension of the droplets with high voltage and the formation of Taylor cone. The technique is becoming more and more popular because it can be widely used in the fabrication of the conductive line of electronics, electrode, transistor, sensor, and other electronics as microelectrode, microlen, and heater. This review provides insight into the effect of the influence factors such as voltage, speed, nozzle, jetting ink characteristics, and the representative conductive materials of the ink as metal nanoparticles (NPs) and carbon materials, or organic conductive polymers on the fabrication of the different electronics by the e-jet printing technology. Specially, the characteristics of different resultant electronics are compared and the possible mechanisms are analyzed. Finally, the challenge and development trend of the e-jet printing technology are discussed, which will shed a light on the fabrication of the next-generation flexible electronics with better performance.

Automated summary

This review provides insight into the application and influencing factors of e-jet printing technology in the fabrication of different electronic components. By comparing and analyzing the characteristics of different resulting electronic components, the mechanisms are revealed. Moreover, the challenges and development trends of this technology are discussed, shedding light on the fabrication of next-generation flexible electronics with better performance.