Next-generation materials and fabrication research for printed flexible electronics

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Applications of fundamental research in Printed Flexible Electronics (PFEs) are combinations of diverse material engineering, smart lithography, and electronic physics. The PFEs field is attracting attention as industry, academia, and the public demand. A synergistic partnership between electronics and graphic patterning techniques using organic functional materials could fuel an entirely new genre of novel PFE applications, such as flexible displays, flexible sensors, and simple smart electronics. Direct patterning of functional electronic ink materials may be the ideal technology for mitigating the world's critical need to fabricate nano-patterns for high-resolution PFE devices, instead of relying on multiple steps of photo-lithography. The applicant has been trained in the world's leading academic and industrial R&D institutions such as KAIST, MIT, and Xerox Corporation, and brings novel approaches to the PFEs field. The objective of this research program is to investigate smart next-generation techniques for fabricating PFEs and flexible displays via direct patterning of functional electronic ink materials. The ultimate goal of this research program is to develop the technology for novel PFEs with nano-materials and nano-lithogrpahy. The proposed research will explore roll-to-roll fabrication of high-resolution PFE devices using well-purified graphene, and smart-curable metallic nano-particles for application of transparent conductive electric layers, and transparent semi-conducting layers. Also, flexible substrate for PFE devices will be investigated with functional nano composites. Lithographic processes like nano-imprinting, hot embossing, and micro-contact printing technology will enable high resolution PFEs, which can be printed directly onto low-cost flexible sheet or roll substrates. It is anticipated that the program will result in unique PFEs research breakthroughs , will create many well-trained HQP at SFU, and will contribute to the Canadian organic light emitting diode (OLED) and flexible display research sectors.