Line-patterning of polyaniline coated MWCNT on stepped substrates using DC electric field

Printing electronic components on a chip edge and a stepped substrate with functional inks are an attractive approach for achieving flexible and inexpensive circuits for applications such as flexible displays and large-area chemo/bio/radioactivity sensors. However, it is still challenging because a sufficient cover of the 100 μm high step at the chip edge with a high-resolution pattern is the hardest part of the layer assembling by inkjet printing. Herein, we present a simple and effective strategy to generate electrically conductive line-patterns on stepped substrates by applying the DC electric field. On the surface of flat polyimide substrate, the fine line-pattern (less than 850 nm in line width) is achieved with a polyaniline coated MWCNT dispersed ink. Furthermore, 9.9 μm of line width is successfully patterned on the high stepped poly(dimethylsiloxane) substrate, higher than 100 μm, by printing only 1 time.