UHF Electromagnetic Structures Inkjet Printed on Temperature Sensitive Substrates: a Comparative Study of Conductive Inks and Sintering Methods to Enable Low Cost Manufacture

In this paper we demonstrate the use of inkjet printing as a facile digital fabrication tool for the cost effective manufacture of UHF RFID transfer tattoo tags and Frequency Selective Surfaces on low-cost flexible and porous substrates. Electrical and morphological properties of conductive features obtained from a range of metal nanoparticle inks and low temperature sintering methods, such as argon plasma and photonic flash, are evaluated. Large scale potential is addressed.