# Aqueous metal-organic solutions for YSZ thin film inkjet deposition

## TL;DR

This paper presents a novel water-based reactive ink for inkjet printing of dense, nanocrystalline YSZ thin films at low temperatures, enabling versatile substrate compatibility and high ionic conductivity.

## Contribution

Introduction of a new aqueous metal-organic ink formulation for precise, stable inkjet deposition of YSZ thin films at low temperatures, expanding application possibilities.

## Key findings

- Achieved dense YSZ films below 150 nm thickness.
- Demonstrated high ionic conductivity in printed films.
- Enabled low-temperature processing on various substrates.

## Abstract

Inkjet printing of 8% Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) thin films is achieved by designing a novel water-based reactive ink for Drop-on-Demand (DoD) inkjet printing. The ink formulation is based on a novel chemical strategy that consists of a combination of metal oxide precursors (zirconium alkoxide and yttrium salt), water and a nucleophilic agent, i.e. n-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA). This chemistry leads to metal-organic complexes with long term ink stability and high precision printability. Ink rheology and chemical reactivity are analyzed and controlled in terms of metal-organic interactions in the solutions. Thin dense nanocrystalline YSZ film below 150 nm are obtained by low temperature calcination treatments (400-500 {\deg}C), making the deposition suitable for a large variety of substrates, including silicon, glass and metals. Thin films and printed patterns achieve full densification with no lateral shrinkage and high ionic conductivity.

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1904.08143