DuPont Microcircuit Materials introduced an advanced suite of silver-bearing thick film paste conductors to enable In-Mold Electronic devices. The new conductors ME102, ME604, and ME614 have key advancements to improve thermoformability, conductivity, and fine line performance. These offerings enable high productivity, improved mechanical and electrical properties allowing extended freedom in the electronic design of In-Mold Electronics devices. These devices include next-generation LiDAR systems for autonomous driving or touch steering wheels with transparent 3D-shaped surfaces for enhanced user experience. Key advancements of the new ME range include: ME102 as a highly conductive thick film conductive paste for antennae, heater, and RFID functions ME604 as a general-purpose thick film conductive paste with improved thermoformability and conductivity ME614 thick film conductive paste with added laser ablation property for very fine line applications “This innovative new offering demonstrates a range of superior technical properties to meet different customer requirements. We are excited to introduce the ME product range to the market globally and expect a positive impact in accelerating the wider adoption of the emerging In-Mold Electronics technology”, said Peter Weigand, global automotive segment manager, DuPont Microcircuit Materials. For more information, visit: https://www.dupont.com/news/dupont-microcircuit-materials-introduce-silver-pastes.html...

Imagine an iPad or a Kindle for the blind, with inflatable braille that changes shape under a user’s touch. A Cornell-led collaboration has made a crucial component for such a technology: a haptic array of densely packed actuators that cause silicone membrane “dots” to pop up when triggered by combustion. The team’s paper, “Valveless Microliter Combustion for Densely Packed Arrays of Powerful Soft Actuators,” was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The lead author is doctoral student Ronald Heisser. One of the major hurdles for designing a dynamic braille display for electronics is figuring out how to apply the necessary amount of force for each dot. Previous attempts have usually involved motors, hydraulics, or tethered pumps, all of which are cumbersome, complex, and expensive, according to Rob Shepherd, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering and the paper’s senior author. “Having something that can change its shape in a way you can feel, like real objects, doesn’t exist right now. There’s this tradeoff between having small actuators, and size and weight and cost. It’s so difficult,” Shepherd said. “Everybody’s been trying electromechanical systems. So we said, well, what if we don’t do that at all and we use combustion. Small volumes of gas can create powerful outputs.” The Cornell team collaborated with researchers from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology to design a system, composed prima...

Speaker: Scott Gordon | Company: DuPont Teijin Films | Date: 11-12 May 2021 | Full Presentation Continued advances in Flexible Hybrid Electronics have required material suppliers to deliver improved functionality to the device developers in broad applications such as sensors, displays, barrier films, photovoltaics, medical diagnostics, consumer electronics, HMI (Human Machine Interface), and Flexible Printed Circuits (FPCs). Demands on the film substrate suppliers can vary widely, and polymer property requirements typically include: clean surfaces with low surface defects, optically clear films with low haze and iridescence, near zero thermal shrinkage for multilayer print registration and component attach via solder reflow, UV and Hydrolysis resistance, and VTM-0 Flame Retardance. Many requests also include an ability to further tailor the surface chemistry to improve and enhance the downstream processing performance. New commercial polyester film types have been introduced by DuPont Teijin Films, and their typical end use applications will be described. Fraunhofer FEP performs Roll-to-Roll film processing, and they are developing transparent and robust permeation Barrier Films for Flexible Electronics. The substrate choice is critical for optimized performance, and Fraunhofer FEP will describe their journey and key learnings. Join TechBlick on an annual pass to join all live online conference or online version of onsite conference access library of on-demand talks (600 tal...

Scientists from ITMO University, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, and the University of Toronto have developed a gel ink that emits light when exposed to monochromatic radiation of various wavelengths. This makes it possible to create complex images when applying tags to products – the scientists believe that the level of anti-counterfeiting protection offered by their invention is much higher than that of the existing counterparts. The results are highlighted in the Advanced Functional Materials article "Multicolored Nanocolloidal Hydrogel Inks" The invention is based on nanocolloidal systems produced by means of ionic gelation of nanoparticles with different charges. They contain poly(ethyl methacrylate)-based polymer particles with different charges, which gives the material not just plasticity but also the ability to self-restore. The gels produced in such a way can be used for 2D imagery as well as in multilayer 3D printing, which offers many prospects for their use: from the creation of functional biological materials and films to the printing of optically active structures. Among the applications of the latter is anti-counterfeiting protection. The tags developed at ITMO University can be applied not only on even surfaces but also on those with complex geometry or morphology. It’s also worth mentioning that this method is not just eco-friendly and affordable, but also safe for both customers and products. It can be used to tag clothes, as it doesn’t damage ...

What if we could build solar panels using materials that aren't supply-limited and with a lower carbon process? As well as achieving higher efficiencies at the same time? Perovskite solar panels have been promising that future for some time now, but where are they? And are they the future of solar panel technology?...

LCD manufacturing technology was successfully applied to create prototype chips for specimen testing. Mass production can support the expanded use of microfluidic chips expected to be used for super-early cancer detection. Toppan, a global leader in communication, security, packaging, décor materials, and electronics solutions, has developed technology to manufacture glass microfluidic chips by photolithography.1 Mass production of microfluidic chips using the technology will make it possible to produce chips in larger volumes and at a lower cost than those manufactured via current injection molding technology, which involves injecting polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a type of silicone resin, into a metal mold. Photolithography is a fundamental technology honed by Toppan over 60 years in the electronics business and is used for the microfabrication of LCDs and master plates for semiconductor circuits. Microfluidic chips manufactured by this technology are expected to be used in the fields of in-vitro diagnostics and liquid biopsy (a largely non-invasive diagnostic technology requiring only a small amount of blood or other fluid samples), which is expected to see high levels of demand for applications including cancer diagnosis and clinical testing. Recent years have seen growing interest in liquid biopsy testing, which uses samples of blood or other fluids to enable super-early detection of cancer. Microfluidic chips manufactured by injection molding using PDMS are widely...

Additive Manufacturing of Electronics requires good soldering and is enabled with Copprint’s conductive copper inks, as demonstrated by the formation of an IMC layer (Inter Metallic Compound). This layer is formed during reflow between the solder alloy and printed conductive copper paste and is the index of good soldering. Full process details: Print copper traces on FR4 substrate with Copprint copper pastes. Soldering process – can be done even one week after sintering. Print off-the-shelf solder paste. (The most recommended paste is Henkel Loctite LF-318). Component placement. Standard reflow process. Die shear tests after the process indicated >3Kgf for 1206 SMD resistor soldered on Copprint’s LF360 with SAC305 Loctite LF-318. For more information, visit: https://www.copprint.com/news/#370...

A new kind of fiber developed by researchers at MIT and in Sweden can be made into clothing that senses how much it is being stretched or compressed, and then provides immediate tactile feedback in the form of pressure, lateral stretch, or vibration. Such fabrics, the team suggests, could be used in garments that help train singers or athletes to better control their breathing, or that help patient recovering from disease or surgery to recover their breathing patterns.

The multilayered fibers, dubbed OmniFibers contain a fluid channel in the center, which can be activated by a fluidic system. This system controls the fibers’ geometry by pressurizing and releasing a fluid medium, such as compressed air or water, into the channel, allowing the fiber to act as an artificial muscle. The fibers also contain stretchable sensors that can detect and measure the degree of stretching of the fibers. The resulting composite fibers are thin and flexible enough to be sewn, woven, or knitted using standard commercial machines. The new fiber architecture has a number of key features. Its extremely narrow size and use of inexpensive material make it relatively easy to structure the fibers into a variety of fabric forms. It’s also compatible with human skin since its outer layer is based on a material similar to common polyester. And, its fast response time and the strength and variety of the forces it can impart allow for a rapid feedback system for training or remote communications using...