Quantitative analysis and optimization of gravure printed metal ink, dielectric, and organic semiconductor films.

Here we demonstrate the optimization of gravure printed metal ink, dielectric, and semiconductor formulations. We present a technique for nondestructively imaging printed films using a commercially available flatbed scanner, combined with image analysis to quantify print behavior. Print speed, cliché screen density, nip pressure, the orientation of print structures, and doctor blade extension were found to have a significant impact on the quality of printed films, as characterized by the spreading of printed structures and variation in print homogeneity.

Grafting of cross-linked hydrogel networks to titanium surfaces.

The performance of medical implants and devices is dependent on the biocompatibility of the interfacial region between tissue and the implant material. Polymeric hydrogels are attractive materials for use as biocompatible surface coatings for metal implants. In such systems, a factor that is critically important for the longevity of an implant is the formation of a robust bond between the hydrogel layer and the implant metal surface and the ability for this assembly to withstand physiological conditions.

Highly sensitive flexible pressure sensors with microstructured rubber dielectric layers.

The development of an electronic skin is critical to the realization of artificial intelligence that comes into direct contact with humans, and to biomedical applications such as prosthetic skin. To mimic the tactile sensing properties of natural skin, large arrays of pixel pressure sensors on a flexible and stretchable substrate are required. We demonstrate flexible, capacitive pressure sensors with unprecedented sensitivity and very short response times that can be inexpensively fabricated over large areas by microstructuring of thin films of the biocompatible elastomer polydimethylsiloxane.