Sustainable conductive inks for printable electronic applications

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Two important trends are emerging in the use of raw material resources and methods of transforming them into useful products. Sustainable and renewal resources are being considered over depleting crude oil in the production of goods and services due to the favourable carbon foot print of such resources. In the electronic industry, the trend is shifting from silicon based processing to flexible electronics, where the traditional method of depositing conductive materials performed with physical vapor deposition (PVD) is being replaced by 2-D and 3-D printing technology. The former technique requires sophisticated clean room environments that are expensive to maintain and operate. On the other hand, printable electronics are performed using solution processable materials at ambient temperature and in a standard environment without the need of clean room facilities. The emergence of alternative processes, such as flexible printable electronics offer many advantages and it will be disruptive to this market sector. This is a rapidly growing technology sector estimated to command a market of approximately $45B by 2016. In this strategic project, we propose to develop a scalable green process to produce sustainable conductive inks (SCI) from cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) derived from plants and various biomasses. In collaboration with our industrial partners, Celluforce and MW Canada, we will develop technologies for the production of SCI for flexible electronic applications. The project will contain TWO major thrust areas that will lead to: (1) the development of a scalable and "green" process for the manufacture of SCI for various printable electronic applications; (2) the formulation of aqueous SCI and the optimization of the printing platform for the delivery of SCI onto various types of flexible substrates, including textiles, paper, and biodegradable plastics. The key goal is to formulate a holistic approach in the development of a sustainable nanomaterial that can be used in the next generation of printable electronics with a significantly lower waste disposal issue. This research will rejuvenate the struggling forestry sector, and create economic and business activities that will position Canada as a leader in sustainable materials.