Hart, Lewis R, Harries, Josephine L, Greenland, Barnaby W, Colquhoun, Howard M and Hayes, Wayne (2015) Supramolecular approach to new inkjet printing inks. ACS applied materials & interfaces.

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Abstract

Electronically complementary, low molecular
weight polymers that self-assemble through tunable π−π
stacking interactions to form extended supramolecular polymer
networks have been developed for inkjet printing applications
and successfully deposited using three different printing
techniques. Sequential overprinting of the complementary
components results in supramolecular network formation
through complexation of π-electron rich pyrenyl or perylenyl
chain-ends in one component with π-electron deficient
naphthalene diimide residues in a chain-folding polyimide.
The complementary π−π stacked polymer blends generate
strongly colored materials as a result of charge-transfer
absorption bands in the visible spectrum, potentially negating
the need for pigments or dyes in the ink formulation. Indeed,
the final color of the deposited material can be tailored by varying the end-groups of the π-electron rich polymer component. Piezoelectric printing techniques were employed in a proof of concept study to allow characterization of the materials deposited, and a thermal inkjet printer adapted with imaging software enabled in situ analysis of the ink drops as they formed and of their physical properties. Finally, continuous inkjet printing allowed greater volumes of material to be deposited, on a variety of different substrate surfaces, and demonstrated the utility and versatility of this novel type of ink for industrial applications.

Item Type:	Article
Schools and Departments:	School of Life Sciences > Chemistry
Subjects:	Q Science > QD Chemistry > QD0241 Organic chemistry
Depositing User:	Barnaby Greenland
Date Deposited:	05 Apr 2018 14:46
Last Modified:	05 Apr 2018 14:46
URI:	http://srodev.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/74850

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