Plasma-induced bubble microjet metallization of elastomer

Abstract

As the development of flexible materials and advanced materials progresses, innovative wiring methods for these materials are attracting attention. In this study, we investigated a new wiring technology using plasma-induced microbubbles for elastomer without any surface treatment. Our technology includes three main points. (1) Unlike electroless plating and other conventional methods, it does not require complicated pre-surface treatment processes before wiring. (2) A wiring resolution of 500 micro meter can be reached quickly and economically. (3) Robust metallic adhesion on a wide range of materials can be successfully carried out with precise positioning. Here, by applying our method, we adhered nickel nanoparticles to a latex rubber substrate and demonstrated the electrical conductivity of the created line. The result suggests that our method has potential as an innovative wiring technology to precisely, robustly, and simply fabricate an electric circuit without any complicated procedures or pre-treatment. Our method can contribute to microfabrication technologies.