Collaboration focuses on printed electronics research

“We’re pleased to extend our collaboration with Holst Centre, continuing to work together in advancing new developments in printed electronics,” said Kerry Adams, printed electronics market segment manager, DuPont.

“In addition to advancing the technology, the collaboration provides us with valuable insights into the needs and requirements of other Holst partners, including end-users and equipment suppliers, enabling open innovation and accelerating product and application development.”

In this next phase, the emphasis of the collaboration will be on developing and testing complete complementary material systems and successfully creating working demonstrators and prototypes, with the development of commercial products as the end goal.

In particular, the collaboration will focus on screen printed and ink-jet electronic inks and pastes, flat bed and roll-to-roll processing, and conventional oven as well as photonic curing/sintering systems.

Over the life of the DuPont/Holst Centre collaboration, results have included the development of new nano-Ag inks and pastes, leading to the commercialisation of DuPont’s best in class conductive ink-jet silver ink, PE410, announced and featured at LOPEC in Munich, Germany, in April 2016. Most recently, Holst presented their wearable smart shirt design in the DuPont booth at the Wearables Expo in Tokyo, Japan, from Jan. 18-20, 2017.

Other achievements have included the successful implementation of DuPont inks and pastes enabling production of smart garments, flexible sensors and smart blister medical packaging, as well as in-mold electronics, and Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) and Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) lighting demos and prototypes.

“The collaboration between DuPont and Holst Centre continues to drive exciting advancements in printed electronics,” said Jeroen van den Brand, program director ‘printed electronics’, Holst Centre. “We are excited to continue to explore new technologies and opportunities alongside a recognised industry leader.”

DuPont will showcase the latest developments in wearable electronics, in-mold electronics, consumer electronics and healthcare at stand B0 308 at LOPEC, the International Exhibition and Conference for Printed Electronics, March 28 – 30, 2017, in Munich, Germany.

Holst Centre is an independent open-innovation R&D centre that develops generic technologies for wireless sensor technologies and flexible electronics, that contribute to answering global societal challenges in healthcare, lifestyle, sustainability and the IoT.

A key feature of Holst Centre is its partnership model with industry and academia around shared roadmaps and programs. It is this kind of cross-fertilisation that enables Holst Centre to tune its scientific strategy to industrial needs.

Holst Centre was set up in 2005 by imec (Flanders, Belgium) and TNO (The Netherlands) with support from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Government of Flanders. Holst Centre has over 200 employees from around 28 nationalities and a commitment from more than 50 industrial partners.

DuPont Electronics & Communications is a leading innovator and high-volume supplier of electronic inks and pastes that offers a broad range of printed electronic materials commercially available today.

The growing portfolio of DuPont electronic inks is used in many applications, including forming conductive traces, capacitor and resistor elements, and dielectric and encapsulating layers that are compatible with many substrate surfaces including polymer, glass and ceramic,

DuPont has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment.