A research team of the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland conducted a study to formulate a carbon-coated copper nanoparticle (Cu+CNT) fluid for printed electronic devices. To obtain the nanoparticles, the automatic and programmable powder dispenser LAMBDA DOSER was attached to the heating section of a quartz reactor to dispense copper chloride (CuCl) to the evaporation zone (750 - 800 °C) in presence of nitrogen flow. In the formulation step, the produced particles were mixed with water and co-solvents. Then, the deposition of formulated nanoparticle fluids was carried out to evaluate their conductive properties.

Figure 1. LAMBDA powder dosing instrument used in the experimental design of conductive inkjet fluid formulation based on carbon-coated copper nanoparticles. Eiroma et al.: Water-based carbon-coated copper nanoparticle fluid. [DOI: https://doi.org/10.2352/J.ImagingSci.Technol.2012.56.4.040501]

The notable attributes of the developed copper nanoparticle fluid are its easy processing, handling, and low cost compared to silver and gold; however, the material is not envisioned to replace the conventional printable fluids in devices that require high conductivity. The application of functional inks studied is in devices that require low conductivity, such as antistatic coatings, resistors and sensors.

LAMBDA DOSER: selected instrument to dispense solids in the reaction system

The selection of the LAMBDA powder dosing instrument to feed solid particles to the reaction system is due to the possibilities that this instrument offers:

• Safe dosing of chemicals.
• Automatic and reproducible dispensing.
• Meets laboratory safety standards.

Gives the possibility to be coupled to all common glass recipients having standard ground fittings NS 29/32 or SVL threaded connectors.

It can also be fitted in the vessel of different types of chemical reactors, fermenter or bioreactor for efficient feeding of free-flowing solid substances. Figure 1 shows an example of this application where the powder feeder is connected to a quartz reactor in the experimental design to formulate conductive inks.

Printed electronic devices are attracting great interest due to their versatility and low cost. Therefore, for future experimental designs focused on optimizing the injectable fluids, the LAMBDA powder dispenser represents an option that is easily adaptable to complex laboratory facilities. Furthermore, it is a safe instrument for dosing solid precursor substances in reaction systems to produce nanoparticles that can be used in the formulation of inkjecttable fluids with conductive properties.

More information about the LAMBDA solid dispenser, you will find on https://www.lambda-instruments.com/powder-doser/

Please, contact us at sales@lambda-instruments.com if you have questions, need quotation or prices of our dosing instruments.

Keywords: powder dosing instrument, LAMBDA DOSER, nanoparticle fluid, printed electronics, conductive inks, inkjettable fluid.