Silver Ink

Researchers at Brown University have developed a new way to make super-hard metals, up to four times harder than usual. The team made nanoparticle “building blocks” that could be fused together under pressure, thanks to a chemical treatment.

When a patient receives a titanium artificial hip, there's always the risk of an infection developing at the interface between the metal and the bone. A new implant-coating process, however, is intended to greatly reduce that risk.

The colorful glaze on that ceramic mug of yours may look nice, but there's a chance that it could contain toxic substances. US scientists have thus created a safer type of glaze, that incorporates tiny particles of silver and gold.

Researchers have taken advantage of defects to make silver much stronger while still being conductive – breaking a theoretical limit in the process.

The Voxel8, a US$9,000 3D printer presented at this year's CES, could make it surprisingly easy to blend plastics and electronics in the same object and lead 3D printing to a new level of sophistication.

Created by Jennifer Lewis and Brett Walker, Circuit Scribe is a rollerball pen that can draw functioning circuits with silver ink. The research started at the University of Illinois and now the duo have launched a company called Electroninks to market the pen.

Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a new technique to print advanced, ink-based electrical circuitry on a desktop printer. The technique can produce flexible electrodes in 60 seconds with equipment and materials that cost less than US$300.

A new particle-free silver ink, used in the field of printable electronics, is said to offer several advantages over traditional silver ink.

Low-cost electronics printed on everything from plastic to fabric are possible thanks to the development of conductive silver ink developed by Xerox scientists.