Aerosol Jet Printing System for Additive Manufacturing and Material Development
Abstract
Overview: A team of researchers from Texas State University requests fund to acquire a versatile Optomec Aerosol Jet 300 printing system for flexible electronic circuits and printable nanomaterials based chemical/biological (CB) sensors. The acquisition will support current and future initiatives in additive manufacturing and material development at Texas State University, a Hispanic serving institution. Flexible electronics and printable nanomaterials based CB sensors are highly desired in many applications, particularly those that require or may benefit from flexible substrates such as large-area inflatable antennas, RF identification tags (RFID), smart cards, conformal antennas, electronic paper, flat panel displays, and smart skins. However, current development of flexible electronics is limited by the lack of fundamental knowledge of carrier transportation properties on flexible surfaces and the impact of bending and strain on circuit performance. In addition, there is no effective fabrication system capable of uniformly delivering materials on flexible substrates with high resolution and multi-layer alignment accuracy. The requested state-of-the-art system will provide new capabilities to promote interdisciplinary research and education. Research: A wide array of research projects will be led by professors with strong funding track records including Department of Defense. We describe research in additive manufacturing and material development including (1)Advance knowledge in printed electronics on flexible and conformal surfaces, (2) Conformal antennas, (3) Multi-material and multilayer circuit printing for 3D flexible electronic circuits, (4) Highly ordered selfĂassembling polymer/clay nanocomposite (5) Terahertz (THz) radiation and detection, (6) Additive manufacturing including repairing damage parts, (7) Fabrication of composite materials by co-printing nanomaterials, (8) Flexible biosensor platform for detection of infectious pathogens and disease biomarkers, and (9) Multifunctional composites for bladder and structural health monitoring. The proposed system will have a direct impact on these and future research projects. Education: The requested instrumentation will be used in additive manufacturing research training and course instruction at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. This instrument will provide an unprecedented opportunity for the education of flexible electronics, printable nanomaterials, and chemical sensors with hands-on training opportunities. It will also allow the PIs to develop and implement integrated classroom teaching and research. The PI already opened an elective undergraduate course Flexible Electronics in 2012. A new interdisciplinary graduate course Graphene-Based Electronic Devices and Systems is proposed. STEM Activities and Outreach: The PI already serves as mentor and committee member in a few key minority STEM programs. The proposed 3D printing system will serve as a key component to recruit and grow our Hispanic and minority enrollment in STEM disciplines. The retention rate will be increased
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 20, 2018
- Source ID
- W911NF1610555
Entities
People
- Yihong Chen
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Texas State University