A Study of Hybrid Drying Process to Improve Drying Speed and Electrical Conductivity for Roll-to-Roll Printing

Abstract

In this study, we present a new drying method for the roll-roll printing process that improves drying speed and electric conductivity. Generally, hot air is used for drying. However, drying using hot air requires a long time despite the high electrical conductivity obtained in the final specimen. To overcome this problem, we developed a drying process that integrates hot air drying and infrared (IR). First, different drying methods (hot air drying and IR drying) were analyzed by analyzing the specimens obtained after drying of a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate printed with silver ink. After determining and analyzing the outcomes obtained used these two methods individually, the two methods were combined to create a drying process with optimal performance. And focusing on trapped solvent, the drying sequence was analyzed. In addition, micromechanism analysis was performed to investigate the various drying conditions.