Multi-material printers work by using varying laser wavelengths to create thermal and chemical reactions that transform common carbon-based material (polyimide, graphene oxide and polyimide) into a highly porous type of graphene. The new graphene structure can not only be light and conductive but also printed or coated on flexible substrates such as plastics and glass.
Electronic components and devices have typically been made from rigid materials, such as metals or ceramics. But there has been a growing interest in creating flexible wearable electronics, which can be bent, twisted and conformed easily to various surfaces.
Co-leader of the project, Associate Professor Murukeshan Vadakke Matham from NTU School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) and SC3DP, the national centre of excellence in 3D printing housed at NTU, said: “Our project aims to find a way to 3D print new materials like organic polymers and carbon-based materials like graphene, which has properties that allow them to be printed or coated onto flexible substrates like plastics or fabrics, creating flexible and stretchable circuits.”
Read the original article on Nanyang Technological University.
