Date of Award

2013

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME)

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

George T. C. Chiu

Committee Chair

George T. C. Chiu

Committee Member 1

Jeffrey Rhoads

Committee Member 2

Ronald G. Reifenberger

Abstract

Inkjet printed lines on a homogeneous solid substrate are studied under the condition that ink evaporation is not negligible and the contact angle exhibits hysteresis with non-zero receding contact angle (NRCA). A new family of line instability is discovered, featured by formation of agglomerations within a line. The agglomeration is explained by a hydrodynamic flow that consistently drives a bead on the substrate towards fresh deposited droplets due to concentration-induced surface tension gradient. Morphologies of lines printed with multiple layers are also explored for the purpose of conductive trace fabrication. A non-uniform morphology is observed across a multi-layer line when the line is printed unidirectionally at a low jetting frequency. This non-uniformity is explained by considering the interaction between deposited droplets and bulk layer. An optimized multiple-pass printing is developed to produce a uniform line morphology while offering excellent printing efficiency and electrical conductivity.

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