Research summary
In reactive inkjet printing, the printer deposits droplets of one or more reactants onto a surface to cause a chemical reaction and form a product. Dr. Ghassan Jabbour, Canada Research Chair in Engineered Advanced Materials and Devices, is using this technique to change the way semiconductor quantum dots (tiny particles with optical and electronic properties) and conductive textiles (fabrics that can conduct electricity) are made.
Jabbour and his research team are preparing chemicals as inks, printing them in optimized proportions, and sequencing them onto specified locations on a surface, resulting in the chemical synthesis of self-assembled quantum dots. They are also using the reactive inkjet technique to rapidly screen and optimize the adhesion of electrically conducting polymers to textile fibres. Their research will lead to innovations in displays and lighting, energy harvesting and thin-film battery technology.