CHASM Nano Scale Materials

Flexible printed electronics, Signis™ VC102 formulated from CHASM’s patented V2V™ ink vehicle and single wall CNTs, VC102 delivers printable, flexible transparent conductors with superior environmental robustness and optical performance than commercial alternatives such as PEDOT. Screen printable on a variety of flexible substrates, VC102 is well-suited for cost-effective transparent circuit production at high volumes for touch buttons and sensors used in many applications including appliances, automotive interiors, and industrial controls.

Producing a sheet resistance of 800-1000 Ω/□ at a transparency of 85% VLT, VC102 is well suited to high volume transparent FPC applications. Suitable for harsh environment applications, VC102 successfully completed 1,000 hours of environmental testing at 65°C / 85% RH, exhibited minimal variation in resistance while transparency, haze and color remained very stable. Independently completed testing of 1000 hours at 85°C / 85% RH produced comparable results. VC102 is also neutral in color being made from CNTs so it does not impart a blue color cast to transparent circuits.

CHASM Nano-Scale Materials, Thin-Film Coating & Patterning

Smart surfaces, flexible touch panels, conformable transparent antennas, electrochemical sensors, and transparent heaters are HMI solutions powered by CHASM’s materials. Each of these solutions demands a different application of the company’s materials and capabilities.

Touch Sensors & Smart Surfaces: Electromechanical switches are being replaced with touch buttons, dials with sliders, and control panels with touch screens. This requires a new generation of materials, particularly new transparent conductive films that are flexible, formable, and can be produced at lower cost.

Transparent Heaters: Anti-collision and proximity sensors in automobiles, both in the windshield and within the headlight lenses, must be kept clear to keep those systems functioning. Forced air systems are cumbersome and slow to respond making surface-embedded heater technology even more attractive.

LED Lighting Circuits: Lighting elements are playing an increasing role in automotive interiors. For maximum effect, designers look to embed this lighting seamlessly into the surfaces of their products, requiring materials that are not only conductive, but also mold into their surroundings.

CHASM’s printed electronic material platform begins with the company’s specialized carbon nanotubes, dispersed into a variety of inks, printable onto a broad range of substrates. Alone or in combination with other conductive materials, this material set is designed to fulfill transparent conductive film applications requiring sheet resistance from 10 ohms/square to 10 mega-ohms/square.

The secret sauce is the V2V™ Ink Vehicle, where V2V stands for “Viscous to Vapor”. The ink vehicle is a high viscosity fluid at room temperature that transforms into vapor under standard drying temperatures (100°C). The ink formulation contains a mixture of V2V Ink Vehicle, Nano-particles dispersed in solvent, and Polymer Binder dissolved in solvent, as is shown in the figure below. The ink is engineered and manufactured at CHASM to behave like a paste under static conditions, to shear-thin under shear strain, and then rapidly

rebuild its viscosity to pre-shear values when shear strain is removed. After screen-printing, the V2V Ink Vehicle plus solvents are quickly evaporated using convection drying, leaving behind only the Nano-particles plus Polymer Binder.

The AgeNT manufacturing process is called “Print & Wipe” (patents pending), a process scalable for mass-production. AgeNT starts with a continuous coating of AgNW on film using atmospheric roll- to-roll coating. The AgNW coating is designed to have good “dry” adhesion, but poor “wet” adhesion. A proprietary CNT ink with high “wet and dry” adhesion is screen printed onto the AgNW layer. The AgNW areas that not covered by CNT ink are then removed using a proprietary “wet wiping” process (water plus a low-cost fabric), creating a patterned “hybrid” TCF with lower materials and processing cost than chemical etching or laser ablation. The removed AgNW can be recycled, lowering cost further.

Target Applications:

Touch Sensors                                             Displays

EMI Shielding                                               Transparent Heaters

Solar PV                                                        Smart Windows

AgeNT-1-MM is a Hybrid Transparent Conductive Film (TCF) made by printing Carbon Nanotube (CNT) ink onto Metal Mesh (MM) film to create a flexible TCF that is substantially better than either CNTs (more conductive) or MM (more robust and more uniform conductivity). TCF applications include antennas, heaters, EMI shielding, wiring for micro-LEDs, etc.

For more information contact sales@chasmtek.com or go to their WEB www.chasmtek.com.