Next Up: Hand-Drawn Electrical Circuits for LEDs
June 29th, 2011 by Glenn Meyers
Photo: Bok Yeop Ahn
Engineers at the University of Illinois have developed a silver-inked rollerball pen that allows users to draw electrical circuits and interconnects on paper, wood and other surfaces.
Led by Jennifer Lewis, the Hans Thurnauer University of Illinois’ professor of materials science and engineering, and Jennifer Bernhard, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, the team has published its work in the journal Advanced Materials.
The circuit-drawing device looks exactly like a standard ballpoint pen except that the ink contains a solution of silver that dries and leaves electrically conductive silver pathways. The pathways that are drawn provide conductivity, enabling users to create extremely low-cost electrical devices that are disposable. Talk about green designs, this looks like a possible game-changer.
As shown in this photo by Bok Yeop Ahn, a flexible array of LEDs mounted on paper. Hand-drawn silver ink lines have created the connections between the LEDs.
Metallic inks are used in the manufacture electronic devices via inkjet printing technology, however, the silver pen offers the freedom and flexibility to construct electronic devices on the fly, says Jennifer Lewis, the Hans Thurnauer professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois. She led the research team along with Jennifer Bernhard, a professor of electrical and computer engineering.
“The key advantage of the pen is that the costly printers and printheads typically required for inkjet or other printing approaches are replaced with an inexpensive, hand-held writing tool,” said Lewis. “This is an important step toward enabling desktop manufacturing (or personal fabrication) using very low cost, ubiquitous printing tools.”
While the pen may appeal to electrical engineers and hobbyists, the researchers have also highlighted the potential of the device for creating art. Using the pen to sketch a copy of the painting “Sae-Han-Do” by Jung Hee Kim, which portrays a house, trees and Chinese text, the researchers used the ink as wiring for an LED mounted on the roof of the house (see photo) that was powered by a five-volt battery connected to the edge of the painting.
The university reports the U.S. Department of Energy supported this work. Co-authors were graduate student Analisa Russo and postdoctoral researchers Bok Yeop Ahn, Jacob Adams and Eric Duoss.
Photo: Bok Yeop Ahn
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About the Author
Glenn Meyers is a writer, producer, and director. Meyers was editor and site director of Green Building Elements, a contributing writer for CleanTechnica, and is founder of Green Streets MediaTrain, a communications connection and eLearning hub. As an independent producer, he's been involved in the development, production and distribution of television and distance learning programs for both the education industry and corporate sector. He also is an avid gardener and loves sustainable innovation.
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