Fabrication of electroconductive materials based on digital light processing printed polymer lattice structures

Abstract

The potential applications of liquid metals in circuit construction are significantly unexplored. This paper investigates a novel approach to fabricating elastic and flexible circuits using both liquid metals and 3D printing, a versatile method for creating small-scaled structures. Preliminary lattices were produced via DLP printing to assess the efficacy of lattice design. However, it was observed that the printing precision along the lattice height deviated significantly from the intended design. Liquid metal EGaIn was dispersed in ethanol to reduce the individual particle size, enabling more precise deposition onto the lattice. Subsequently, a prototypical lattice with microchannels coated with EGaIn was mechanically sintered, resulting in an electroconductive circuit that was successfully tested for electroconductivity.