NU 2018-164 

INVENTORS
Jung-Woo Ted Seo
Jian Zhu
Mark C. Hersam* 

SHORT DESCRIPTION 
Preparation of printable semi-conductor inks for fabrication of high-fidelity optoelectronic devices 

ABSTRACT
Northwestern researchers have developed an approach to prepare semiconducting inks that enable the fabrication of optoelectronic devices through inkjet printing. Existing approaches for two dimensional fabrication of electronic devices typically require harsh solvents and complex processing conditions, which lead to a final product with a narrow range of physical properties and limited applicability. The ink preparation method reported here, however, mitigates these drawbacks and enables the preparation of a printable ink with a variety of properties. Tunability of the ink is achieved through fine-tuning the preparation process and this versatility enables electronic device fabrication via spray coating, inkjet printing, or blade coating. Post-processing requirements of devices generated with this ink formulation are also reduced, and the post-processing procedures are both dramatically simpler and faster. The range of suitable substrates that are compatible with the fabrication of these electronic devices is expanded dramatically to include materials with flexible surfaces, further bolstering the applicability of this approach. The increased versatility of these inks is achieved at a reduced price point compared to existing technologies without sacrificing final device performance. 

APPLICATIONS 

• Printable inks
• Sensors and wearable devices
• Optical communication devices 

ADVANTAGES 

• Cost-effective 
• Higher conductivity
• Scalable

PUBLICATION
Seo, Jung-Woo Ted, et al. (2019) Fully inkjet-printed, mechanically flexible MoS2 nanosheet photodetectors. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 11.6: 5675-5681.

IP STATUS
Issued US Patent No. 17,279,717; Filed International PCT Application  

The novel approach to prepare printable inks has enabled a more feasible approach to develop functional devices, such as photodetectors.