Tel:
Email: For product inquiries, please use our online system or send an email to inquiry@alfa-chemistry.com
To receive a copy of our product catalog, please contact us at
info@alfa-chemistry.com
Contact printing is a new technology that utilizes the principle of molecular self-assembly to transfer the micropattern on the elastomeric stamp to the substrate and reproduce the micropattern on the substrate. Contact printing can reproduce micropattern on a large area (≥50cm2). Furthermore, the self-assembly layer formed on the substrate can be used as a protective layer for some selective solutions, and complex structures can be obtained by further chemical etching. The key technologies of contact printing include: manufacturing elastomeric stamp, forming self-assembled monolayers(SAMs) and Microcontactprinting technology(μCP). Among them, the typical elastomeric stamp manufacture process is showed in figure1.
Figure 1. The typical manufacture process of elastomeric stamp.
Compared with traditional technology, contact printing has the advantages of low cost, convenience, high efficiency, wide application range, and can be printed on the curved surface. Moreover, by introducing different end groups, the self-assembly layer of the stamp and ink molecules can modify the surface of the substrate, which can realize patterning the surface free energy on the substrate. This kind of patterned substrate has important research and practical significance in many fields.
Figure 2. An example of using contact printing to make organic transistors.
Contact printing involves many steps and a lot of materials are needed to complete this process. According to the roles they play in this process, these materials can be classified into four classes.