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Project

Inkjet printing as novel route towards the development of optical materials (FWOKN273)

Light waveguide-based optical devices have evolved due to the remarkable development of the fiber optics technology and optical communication. The importance and potential of a restricted propagation of light has a lot of influence on the impact on telecommunication development in terms of data transfer technology. Sensors are one of the research areas that have grown and which play an important role in our daily lives.

Polymers can help these innovations to propel them forward by offering a wide variety of materials with chemical and physical properties that can be adjusted according to the specific application aimed at. In addition to the selection and the characterization of the optical polymer materials to be applied in the present project, inkjet printing will be utilized as a novel processing route towards the manufacturing of optical waveguides. Very interestingly, rapid manufacturing offers the possibility to process products in a layer-by-layer fashion, thereby limiting the wastage of raw materials to a minor extent, in contrast with conventional production techniques. Indeed, the application of photoresist masks results in considerable material losses.
Date:1 Jan 2015 →  31 Dec 2015
Keywords:Inkjet printing, optical materials
Disciplines:Mathematical sciences and statistics