Proceedings of nanoGe September Meeting 2017 (NFM17)
Publication date: 20th June 2016
Solution-based plastic electronics (PE) manufactured by fast roll-to-roll coating is a promising technology for fabricating large-area electronic devices such as photovoltaic modules, lighting panels and displays at a fraction of the cost of conventional electronics. However, for the technology to succeed, the cost and performance of PE materials and devices must be greatly improved relative to current levels. Here I will describe a scalable approach to preparing high quality PE materials based on droplet microfluidics, which offers greatly improved control over materials properties compared to conventional batch synthesis. The method can be applied to a broad range of electronic materials, including quantum dots, metal nanocrystals and semiconducting polymers, and offers a viable solution to the challenge of producing high quality PE materials in quantities sufficient for industrial application. Key advantages of the microfluidic approach will be discussed, together with a number of challenges that must be addressed in order to reach commercial viability.