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Bok Yeop
University of Illinois engineers developed a pen with conductive silver ink that can write electric circuits and interconnects directly on paper and other surfaces.
Researchers have developed a silver-inked rollerball pen that writes electronic circuits on paper, wood, and other surfaces. The breakthrough leads a new class of flexible, low-cost and disposable electronics, according to the team.
The normal-looking pen's ink is a solution of silver. After writing, the ink dries to leave conducting pathways that maintain their integrity through multiple bends and folds in the paper, enabling devices with flexibility and conformability, according to a news release on the breakthrough.
The effort was led by Jennifer Lewis, a professor of materials science and engineering, and Jennifer Bernhard, a professor of computer and electrical engineering at the University of Illinois. The results were published in the journal Advanced Materials.
In previous work, metallic inks have been used with ink jet printers to fabricate electronic devices. The pen offers the flexibility to apply metallic ink directly on paper without the hassle and expense of buying and programming inkjet printers.
"Pen-based printing allows one to construct electronic devices on-the-fly," Lewis said in the news release.
The team so far has used the pen to put LED lighting on the roof of a house in a sketched copy of a painting by Jung Hee Kim called "Sae-Han-Do." The LED is powered by a five-volt battery connected to the edge of the painting.
The team has also demonstrated a flexible LED display on paper, conductive text, and three-dimensional radio antennas.
More on electronic printing:
- Esquire unveils cover with electronic ink
- Work underway on paper 2.0 – it's electric!
- Inkjet printers may be the future of solar cells
- World's smallest 3-D printer is a factory in the home
John Roach is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by hitting the "like" button on the Cosmic Log Facebook page or following msnbc.com's science editor, Alan Boyle, on Twitter (@b0yle).
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I say we give it to McGuyver, and see what he does with it. Probably would build a Cray with that and some sand
If the TSA hasn't banned writing instruments on planes yet now they will. They will fear someone will somehow draw out a circuit that will somehow take over the plane.
Chemtronics has had this type of pen for years, I hope those idiot students get sued.
It's called a CircuitWorks pen.
Those 'idiot students' won't get sued. This is a ballpoint pen, the CircuitWorks is a felt tipped marker.
Circuitworks is great for use on a PCB, not so much for paper or cardboard.
I wonder how much they will cost? I wouldn't mind to get one and write a wi-fi antenna on a piece of cardboard just for kicks.
Now you just need some photovoltaic paint and then you can write your own solar cell on a piece of paper. could make for some interesting artwork.