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peer-reviewed Direct coating methods using metal particles from aqueous solutions or solvent-based inks become central in the roll-to-roll fabrication processes as these methods can lead to continuous or pre-defined conductive layers on a large variety of substrates. For good electrical conductivity, the metal particles have to be brought into contact, and traditionally, additional sintering treatments are required. Such treatments can degrade the sensitive substrates as paper or polymer films. In this study, the possibility of obtaining conductive layers at room temperature is investigated for direct coating methods with an emphasis on drop-casting and inkjet printing. Thus, it is shown that electrical conductive layers can be achieved if the metal particles can compact during the drop-substrate impact interaction. It is theoretically shown that the compaction process is directly related to the particle and ink drop size, the initial fractional particle loading of the ink, solvent viscosity, and drop velocity. The theoretical predictions on compaction are experimentally validated, and the particle compaction's influence on changes in the electrical conductivity of the resulting layers is demonstrated. (C) 2016 AIP Publishing LLC. PUBLISHED peer-reviewed

We fabricated multiwalled carbon-nanotube/cellulose composite papers and measured their temperature dependences of electrical conductivity. The dependences were described with the Sheng’s fluctuation-induced tunneling (FIT) model. A possible mechanism of the electrical conduction in the composite paper was discussed in the context of the FIT model.

The electric potential close to a boundary between two dielectric material layers reflects the geometry of such an interface. The local variations arise from the combination of material parameters and from the nature of the inhomogeneity. Here, the arising electric field is considered for both a sinusoidally varying boundary and for a “rough,” Gaussian test case. We discuss the applicability of a one-dimensional model with the varying layer thickness as a parameter and the generic scaling of the results. As an application we consider the effect of paper roughness on toner transfer in electrophotographic printing.