Characterization of flexible temperature sensor fabricated through drop-on-demand electrohydrodynamics patterning

The fabrication and characterization of a temperature sensor on flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate is discussed. The device was printed by drop-on-demand (DOD) electrohydrodynamic (EHD) Patterning method using silver nanoparticles ink on a roll-to-roll (R2R) system on a mass scale. EHD patterning was performed at atmospheric pressure and room temperature in a single step. The ink viscosity was 300 cps and it contained 55 wt % of silver nanoparticles. The parameters for printing head speed, and DOD were optimized to create connected lines. The printed temperature sensor has the resistivity of 25.35 mu Omega.cm and the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) is 0.0007687 degrees C-1. The micro sensor can be applied to many applications to measure temperature accurately of flat or curved surfaces. (C) 2014 The Japan Society of Applied Physics