Inkjet-printed aluminum-doped zinc oxide nanostructures

Our studies were focused on the inkjet-printing of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) nanostructures. In our case, AZO platelets and isotropic nanoparticles were synthesized by aqueous coprecipitation at the GREMAN laboratory. These structures turn out to be very promising candidates for sensor applications due to its good transparency, conductivity and non-toxicity. Then, the preparation of the solvent-based ink was performed at the ICMN laboratory with the control of the viscosity, ink stability and nanoparticles dispersion. Fabrication processes of first sensor's prototypes were studied at the GREMI laboratory using a Dimatix system based on tiny MEMS nozzles to print AZO active thin film materials onto substrates. This allows low manufacturing costs and surface shapes flexibility.