Thesis (M.S.) in Chemical Engineering--University of Maine, 2004. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-79).

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1981. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-90).

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1981. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-163).

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1993. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-60).

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1993. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 37).

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Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been proposed as a material for use in printed electronics for a number of years. The potential to exploit the unique electrical and mechanical properties of these structures on the macro-scale is appealing; however there are a number of hurdles to overcome. Printing allows the deposition of CNT networks, the properties of which are governed by the CNT type and network density. The formulation of a suitable ink and deposition of a film with specific properties is challenging, and the work described in this thesis is concentrated on two specific areas, CNT ink development and CNT based device production. The CNT ink was developed by identifying key ink and dried film parameters for characterisation and assessing the effect of several major variables, namely the resin material, resin concentration, processing temperature, CNT concentration, CNT functionality and processing energy. A suitable research ink was developed and optimised using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone as the solvent and polyvinyl alcohol as the resin at a concentration ratio of 1:1 with the CNT content. The effects of CNT concentration, CNT functionality and processing energy are shown to be interdependent. This is among the first reported studies to investigate the dependence of these factors upon a CNT ink for roll-to-roll processing. This ink system was then used in the production of CNT based thin film transistor (TFT) devices using flexography. Initially the concept was proven using MWCNTs. The design was then refined and devices were produced using SWCNTs at varying network densities. It was seen that the printing of CNT based devices using flexography is feasible, though careful control of the CNT network density is required to achieve suitable device performance. This is the first reported production of TFTs using flexography, and the first reported use of flexograi)hy to deposit CNTs.

In this work the methodology is developed to study spreading and penetration of a custom ink-jet ink formulation, containing hydrophobic cationic crystal violet dye, ethoxylated surfactant, and ink solvent marked by lithium salt. With a new technique utilizing Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry imaging, the ink component distribution and its effect on print quality of uncoated and coated papers are evaluated. High spatially resolved images obtained by ToF-SIMS illustrate differentiation of individual ink components, with ink solvent spreading more than the dye in all paper samples. Uncoated papers show greater and more irregular spreading leading to poor edge definition and poor print quality. Large separation of the dye from the solvent in the vertical direction of multipurpose and photo glossy ink-jet paper suggests a step-wise progression of ink penetration: ink flows through a more porous structure in the x-direction before advancing to the next sublayer in the z-direction of paper.

In this work the methodology is developed to study spreading and penetration of a custom ink-jet ink formulation, containing hydrophobic cationic crystal violet dye, ethoxylated surfactant, and ink solvent marked by lithium salt. With a new technique utilizing Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry imaging, the ink component distribution and its effect on print quality of uncoated and coated papers are evaluated. High spatially resolved images obtained by ToF-SIMS illustrate differentiation of individual ink components, with ink solvent spreading more than the dye in all paper samples. Uncoated papers show greater and more irregular spreading leading to poor edge definition and poor print quality. Large separation of the dye from the solvent in the vertical direction of multipurpose and photo glossy ink-jet paper suggests a step-wise progression of ink penetration: ink flows through a more porous structure in the x-direction before advancing to the next sublayer in the z-direction of paper.

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy