Controlling Inkjet Fluid Kinematics to Achieve SOFC Cathode Micropatterns

Drop-on-demand inkjet printing a mask-less, fine write, and high throughput technique is attractive for fabricating miniature ceramic devices. In this study, high quality, fine-featured solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathode micropatterns were demonstrated using inkjet printing. The influence of the droplet kinematic properties on final drop deposition was studied by adjusting ink temperature and droplet velocity to obtain a wide range of Weber and Z values, i.e. 0 35 printing defects from splashes and satellites were present. At Weber < 35 the droplets coalesced into uniform, round circles without splashes or satellite defects. Defect-free printing was essential toward achieving uniform micropatterens such as micro dot arrays or micro lines which are on the scale of 100 microns or less. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 License (CC BY-NC-ND, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is not changed in any way and is properly cited. For permission for commercial reuse, please email: oa@electrochem.org. [DOI: 10.1149/2.0031504jss] All rights reserved.