A Novel Method of Incorporating CNT into Additive Manufacturing Electronics Dielectric Material

Abstract

Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Parts that are additively manufactured give engineers and designers greater flexibility in geometry, complexity, and variety or customizability. In this work, UV curable dielectric materials for additive electronics and incorporated Carbon Nano Tubes (CNTs) within a formulated UV/LED curable matrix was used. It will be shown that inkjet printing CNT mixture in specific manner with a commercial UV curable dielectric improves mechanical and thermal properties of the final dielectric compared to the dielectric without the CNT mixture, including a significant decrease in the coefficient of thermal expansion,  while keeping excellent electrical properties.