WO2017153899A1 - Method of electrode printing on one or more surfaces of a dielectric substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

Described herein is a method for printing electrodes surfaces of a dielectric substrate. Provided herein is a new method of depositing electrically conductive electrodes of any shape on flexible and/or rigid dielectric substrates/surfaces and devices so produced. In various embodiments, the devices can generate ionic wind, for example to remove dust or other debris or contaminants or to remove ice or humidity from a surface.

Description

METHOD OF ELECTRODE PRINTING ON ONE OR MORE SURFACES OF A DIELECTRIC SUBSTRATE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application

Serial No. 62/304,453, having the title "METHOD OF ELECTRODE PRINTING ON ONE OR MORE SURFACES OF A DIELECTRIC SUBSTRATE," filed on 7 March 2016, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Current state-of-the-art technologies involved in the electrode deposition on surfaces are PCB (chemical etching) and vacuum deposition (including sputtering, thermal evaporation and e-beam lithography). While these techniques can be effective, they are limited by substrate selection, deposition area, and manufacturing speed. Additionally, the PCB fabrication process employs hazardous chemicals and exhibits electrode thickness limitations while vacuum deposition techniques require an uneconomical high vacuum and temperatures. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for improved electrode deposition technologies. SUMMARY

Provided herein is a new method of depositing electrically conductive electrodes of any shape on flexible and/or rigid dielectric substrates/surfaces and devices so produced. In various embodiments, the devices can generate ionic wind, for example to remove dust or other debris or contaminants or to remove ice or humidity from a surface.

In various aspects, the method is a non-contact and/or contact printing process that allows the fast deposition of multiscale area (width and length) electrodes with accuracy up to 1 urn and thickness between 50nm-10mm using any type of electrically conductive elements (i.e. Ag, Cu, W, Cr) and/or alloys (Cu:Ag) and/or pristine and doped oxides (i.e. ITO, FTO, AZO, ZnO) and/or sulfides (AgS) and/or any organic and inorganic compound in any ink formulation type like nanoparticles and/or nanoflakes and/or nanowires and/or other elemental complexes. The aforementioned electrodes can be optically transparent and/or opaque. The electrodes can be deposited on any rigid dielectric substrate/superstrate including but not limited to glass, sapphire, quartz and mica and/or flexible substrate material (i.e., KAPTON, PET, PU, PEN. LEXAN).

In various aspects, the electrodes can be deposited on either both surfaces of the dielectric (asymmetrically) in order to create Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) actuators and/or on the same side of the surface in order to create non-thermal plasma surface discharges. These different plasma generating devices are able to generate ionic wind which is defined as a flow of gas surrounding the electrode by ion collision with neutral particles. The electrodes can be connected to any power supply (AC/DC high voltage source) allowing to vary the range of the voltage from 100V-50kV with the frequencies from 1 Hz-1 MHz.

In various aspects, our methods tackle all the above mentioned drawbacks of existing technologies as the methods can, among other things, operate at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, with minimum material consumption and can produce sheet-to- sheet and/or roll-to-roll devices fast and at low cost.

Commercially available contact and/or non-contact printers (i.e. Dimatix) can be employed which can provide adjustable parameters including but not only cartridge and substrate temperature, controllable printhead height, droplet deposition spacing, droplet volume regulator, droplet firing frequency etc. These parameters allow the deposition of the various electrically conductive electrode materials (as mentioned above) on various substrates/superstrates depending on their wetting properties but also on ink formulation, ink kinematic viscosity and density, surface tension and energy, solvent ink vapor pressure, etc.

In various embodiments, methods of depositing electrically conductive electrodes of any shape on flexible and/or rigid dielectric substrates/superstrates are provided herein, providing said needed improved electrode deposition technologies. In an embodiment, a method of printing one or more electrodes on a dielectric material is provided. The method can comprise the steps of: providing the dielectric material having one or more surfaces; providing an ink formulation, said ink formulation including a solid electrically conductive component; and depositing said ink formulation on the one or more surfaces of said dielectric material using a contact or a non-contact printer to create said one or more electrodes on said one or more surfaces of said dielectric material, wherein said printer includes a cartridge temperature, a droplet volume, a print head height, and a firing frequency, and said dielectric material has a surface temperature, effective for depositing said ink formulation on the one or more surfaces of said dielectric material.

In any one or more aspects of the method, a pair of electrodes can be deposited on said one or more surfaces of said dielectric material. The electrode pair can comprise a first electrode and a second electrode, said first electrode and said second electrode having different physical dimensions. The dielectric material can be a dielectric substrate/superstrate. The dielectric material can include a rigid dielectric surface, for example selected from the group consisting of glass, sapphire, quartz and mica. The dielectric material can include a flexible dielectric surface, for example selected from the group consisting of polyimides (KAPTON), polyethylene terephthalates (PET), polyurethanes (PU), polyethylene naphthalates (PEN, like Teonex), polycarbonates (LEXAN). The solid electrically conductive component can comprise a metal element, an alloy or a pristine or doped oxide, or any combination thereof.

The ink formulation can be a nanoparticle ink having a viscosity of about 5 cP to about 20 cP, a surface tension of about 25 dyn/cm to about 40 dyn/cm, a density of about 1.01 g/ml to about 1.45 g/ml, a solid content of about 20% to about 60%, or any combination thereof. The nanoparticles can have diameter of about 5nm to about 100nm. The ink formulation can be a nanoflake paste having a density of about 6 g/ml to about 14 g/ml, a solid content of about 60% to about 95%, and/or a viscosity of about lOOOOOcP to about 500000cP. The ink formulation can be a nanoflake paste, having flake diameter of about 100nm to about 400nm. The printer can include a cartridge. The cartridge can have a temperature of about room temperature to about 60°C, preferably 50°C. The dielectric material or the one or more dielectric surfaces can have a temperature of about room temperature to about 70°C, preferably 70°C. The droplet-to-droplet deposition spacing can be 1 μιτι to 256 μπι, preferably 30μm. The droplet volume can be about 1 pL to about 80pL, preferably 10pL. The print head height can be about 0.1 mm to about 15mm above the substrate preferably 3 mm, The print head firing frequency can be about 1 kHz to about 80kHz. In any one or more aspects the method can include any range in between of any one or more of the aforementioned ranges.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the present disclosure will be readily appreciated upon review of the detailed description of its various embodiments, described below, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a printing scheme for electrodes according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example of electrode deposition and ionic wind generation according to the present method.

Fig. 3 illustrates another example of electrode deposition and ionic wind generation according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates another example of the electrode deposition and ionic wind generation according to the present disclosure. Fig. 5 illustrates an embodiment of an application of the present disclosure in the form of an anti-theft system.

Figs. 6-8 depict various tandem devices of the present. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present disclosure is described in greater detail, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particular embodiments described, and as such may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting.

Discussion

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed within the disclosure. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges and are also encompassed within the disclosure, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the disclosure.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present disclosure, the preferred methods and materials are now described.

All publications and patents cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication or patent were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference and are incorporated herein by reference to disclose and describe the methods and/or materials in connection with which the publications are cited. The citation of any publication is for its disclosure prior to the filing date and should not be construed as an admission that the present disclosure is not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior disclosure. Further, the dates of publication provided could be different from the actual publication dates that may need to be independently confirmed.

As will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading this disclosure, each of the individual embodiments described and illustrated herein has discrete components and features which may be readily separated from or combined with the features of any of the other several embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. Any recited method can be carried out in the order of events recited or in any other order that is logically possible.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will employ, unless otherwise indicated, techniques of nanotechnology, chemistry, biochemistry, and the like, which are within the skill of the art. Such techniques are explained fully in the literature. Description

Described herein is a method of depositing electrically conductive electrodes of any shape on flexible and/or rigid dielectric substrates/superstrates. The method can be used to deposit one or more electrodes on a dielectric surface. In one or more aspects, the method can be used to deposit electrode pairs on a dielectric surface. A pair of electrodes deposited on a dielectric substrate can be activated by voltage application, and an ionic wind can be generated across the surface of the substrate/superstrate.

The method can include a non-contact and/or contact printing process that can allow for the deposition of the one or more electrodes. The one or more electrodes can have multiscale area (i.e., having varying width, length, volume and surface area). An embodiment of the present method is illustrated in FIG. 1. A dielectric substrate/superstrate 3 is provided and a printer having a print head 5 is also provided. The printer can deposit ink, for example in the form of droplets 7, onto a surface 4 of the dielectric substrate/superstrate 3. The ink droplets 7 can include an electrically conductive element or a non-conductive ink formulation that will become conductive upon thermal and/or chemical and/or infrared or UV radiation annealing/sintering, as described in more detail below. The print head 5 can move in a printing direction 6 in relation to the dielectric substrate/superstrate 3. In one aspect, the dielectric substrate/superstrate 3 can be stationary and the print head can move along a surface of the dielectric substrate/superstrate. In another aspect, the print head 5 can be stationary and the dielectric substrate/superstrate 3 can be moved in relation to the print head 5.

The ink droplets 7 deposited onto the surface 4 can form one or more electrodes 1 , 2. In an aspect, one skilled in the art would recognize that one or more such electrodes can be deposited. The one or more electrodes can be deposited with accuracy up to 1μπι and a thickness between 50nm-10mm (and any range in between). The thickness can be measured in either a vertical dimension perpendicular to the substrate surface or in a horizontal dimension parallel to the substrate surface. Prior to deposition of the one or more electrodes, the surface of the dielectric substrate/superstrate can be cleaned by one or more conventional methods of dirt, dust and/or grease, or other material that could interfere with the deposition of the electrodes(s).

The one or more electrodes (for example, electrode 1 and electrode 2) can be deposited having varying height, length and surface area. Further, when a pair of electrodes is deposited, as illustrated for example in Fig. 2, the electrodes of the pair can be separated by varying distances. The space or distance between the electrodes is herein sometimes referred to as the inter-electrode space. The inter-electrode space can be in the range of 1 mm to 5 cm (and any range in between). In one or more aspects, one electrode, of a pair of electrodes for example depicted as electrode 2 in Fig. 1 is smaller than electrode 1. The small electrode can have one dimension in the range of 50 nm (nanometer) to 5 mm (and any range in between), and can be as long as or with any pattern necessary, for example like a wire, or saw or horse-shoe. In various aspects the larger electrode can be at least 2 times larger than the small electrode and can be up to 100 times larger (and any range in between). By larger, the second electrode can be larger in terms of surface area, or it can be larger in terms of volume. The length of both electrodes can be similar.

The one or more electrodes can take any one of a number of shapes. In an embodiment (such as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2), the electrode(s) can have a center or middle portion that is raised or higher than the peripheral edges of the electrodes, thus having a middle or center portion having a greater dimension than the outer or peripheral edges in a perpendicular direction or axis from the surface of the substrate. In an aspect the outer surface of the electrode(s) can be concave shaped in relation to the surface of the substrate providing a middle or center portion that has a surface that is a greater distance from the substrate surface than the outer or peripheral edges of the electrode.

The one or more electrodes 1 , 2 can be made of any material that is electrically conductive or serves as an electrical conductor. The electrodes 1, 2 can be optically transparent or opaque. The one or more electrodes can include optically transparent materials such as indium-doped tin oxide (ITO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), and poly(3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). The one or more electrodes 1, 2 can be formed of any type (i.e., nanoparticles, nanowires, nanoflakes, nanotubes, nanocubes etc.) of electrically conductive elements (i.e., Ag, Cu, W, Cr) and/or alloys (i.e., Cu:Ag) and/or pristine and doped oxides (i.e., ITO, FTO, AZO, ZnO) and/or sulfides (AgS, Fe_1-xS) and/or carbon based materials like graphene or carbon-nanotubes. The one or more electrodes 1, 2 can be printed onto the substrate from an ink formulation. The ink formulation can be any organic and inorganic compound in any ink formulation type. [Examples of suitable ink formulations include nanoparticles and/or nanoflakes and/or nanowires and/or other elemental complexes including or incorporating the conductive elements, oxides, sulfides or perovskites.

The electrode(s) can be deposited on any rigid dielectric substrate/superstrate.

Suitable rigid dielectric substrates/superstrates include, but are not limited to, glass, sapphire, quartz and mica. The electrode(s) can be deposited on any flexible substrate/superstrate. Suitable flexible dielectric substrates/superstrates include, but are not limited to polyimides (i.e. KAPTON), polyethylene terephthalates (PET), polyurethanes (PU), polyethylene naphthalates (PEN) (i.e. Teonex), and/or polycarbonates (i.e. LEXAN). In one or more aspects the dielectric substrate/superstrate can be the surface of a solar thermal panel or a solar cell or a glass window or automotive wind shield.

The electrodes can be deposited as a pair of electrodes. The electrode pair can be deposited on different surfaces of the same dielectric substrate or on the same surface of a dielectric substrate. The electrodes in a pair can be separated by a distance and have an inter-electrode space in between the two electrodes of the pair of electrodes. In an aspect, a pair of electrodes can be deposited one each on two opposed surfaces of a dielectric substrate (asymmetric deposition with or without overlapping) to create Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) actuators, as illustrated for example in Figs. 3 and 4. The electrodes can be deposited as a pair on the same side of a surface of a dielectric substrate and can create non-thermal plasma surface discharges, as illustrated for example in Fig. 2. DBD and/or non-thermal plasma surface discharges may or may not be luminous. Electrodes deposited on a surface can also be encapsulated by another material 8, such as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. Suitable encapsulating materials include but are not limited to polyimides, polycarbonates, polyurethanes, etc. In various aspects the encapsulating material can have a thickness of about 0.5μm to about 1cm thickness.

These different plasma generating devices are able to generate an ionic wind, which is defined as a flow of gas surrounding the electrode by ion collision with neutral particles. The ionic wind generated can remove dust and/or repel water (or other liquids) from the dielectric surface. The ionic wind generated can make the dielectric surface more hydrophobic. The ionic wind can cool down a system for photovoltaic and/or solar thermal devices and/or for high precision operations where cooling fan vibrations are detrimental to accuracy (i.e. laser spectroscopic labs, high precision laser cutting, etc). The ionic wind can reattach boundary layers in order to reduce drag on movable parts.

The electrodes can be connected to any power supply 15 (including, for example, an AC/DC high voltage source). The alternating current (AC) source can be any commercial or custom made AC power supply and can provide any shape of AC voltage for example (sine, square, triangle, etc). The AC voltage can have a peak to peak voltage in the range of 100V to 50kV. The AC voltage can have a frequency of 1 Hz to 1 MHz. In any one or more aspects the peak to peak range, the voltage range and/or the frequency range can be any range or value within these ranges. In one or more aspects an alternating current source can be provided for electrode 1 and a separate alternating current source can be provided in connection with electrode 2. The current source 15 for electrode 1 can include a switch 16. The current source for electrode 2 can include a ground 17. In one or more aspects the same power source can be provided and used to power both electrodes 1 , 2.

In one or more aspects, the device can be comprised of a pair of electrodes, affixed to the solar panel surface, which are electrically connected or coupled to a voltage source. The same power source can be applied to both electrodes, or separate power sources can be used one for powering each electrode. The pair of electrodes can be affixed to the same side of the solar panel. The electrodes in the electrode pair have different sizes, where one electrode is larger in size than the other electrode of the pair of electrodes, and the electrodes are separated by an inter-electrode space. The electrodes in the electrode pair can be made of any material that is an electrical conductor, including transparent materials such as indium-doped tin oxide (ITO). The electrodes in the electrode pair can be of any suitable geometry. One skilled in the art will be able to recognize a suitable electrode material, size, and geometry.

To date the main technologies involved in the electrode deposition on surfaces are PCB (chemical etching) and vacuum deposition (including sputtering, thermal evaporation and e-beam lithography). These techniques are limited by substrate selection, deposition area and manufacturing speed. Additionally PCB fabrication process employs hazardous chemicals and exhibits electrode thickness limitations while vacuum deposition techniques require an uneconomical high vacuum and temperatures.

The herein described methods tackle all the above mentioned drawbacks of existing technologies as they can operate at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, with a minimum material consumption. They can produce sheet-to-sheet and/or roll-to-roll devices fast and at low cost.

Commercially available contact printers (such as screen printers, for example Coruna GmbH) and/or non-contact printers (such as ink jet printers, for example Dimatix® printers) can be utilized in the present method to deposit the one or more electrodes. These printers provide adjustable parameters including but not limited to cartridge and substrate temperature, controllable print head height, droplet deposition spacing, droplet volume regulator, droplet firing frequency etc. These parameters allow the deposition of various electrically conductive electrode materials or compositions (as described above) on various substrates/superstrates depending on their wetting properties but also on ink formulation, ink kinematic viscosity and density, surface tension and energy, solvent ink vapor pressure, etc.

One skilled in the art will appreciate the need to choose and optimize parameters described herein according to environmental conditions and desired effect, such as (but not limited to): ink formulation, printing parameters, arrangement of electrodes, size and material of the electrodes, the distances between two electrodes of a pair, the frequency and amplitude of the AC voltage, the geometry and number of electrode pairs in an array, and the dielectric material.

For example, the ink formulation herein can be a nanoparticle ink or nanoparticle paste with the parameters of viscosity, surface tension, density, diameter and solid content such as those of Table 1 below (and any range in between).

Table 1

Printing parameters can include cartridge temperature, substrate temperature, droplet deposition spacing, and droplet volume, such as those of Table 2 below (and any range in between). Of the printing parameters, an important one can be the substrate temperature. Due to the mechanical and thermal properties of some substrates temperatures higher than 100°C may not be preferable.

Table 2

Other compositions, compounds, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following examples. It is intended that all such additional compositions, compounds, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, and be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[EXAMPLES

Now having described the embodiments of the present disclosure, in general, the following Examples describe some additional embodiments of the present disclosure. While embodiments of the present disclosure are described in connection with the following examples and the corresponding text and figures, there is no intent to limit embodiments of the present disclosure to this description. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of embodiments of the present disclosure.

Example 1

With this disclosure we have managed to print deposit opaque and/or transparent electrically conductive electrodes of various shapes on opaque, optically transparent and selectively transparent (in terms of wavelength) dielectrics. Two or more electrodes were deposited asymetrically on each side of the aforementioned dielectrics forming DBD actuators or on the same surface with specific distance forming corona discharge devices.

Example 2

Through our disclosure optically transparent electrodes can be deposited on the front wind shield of an automobile or other vehicle without affecting driver's or operator's vision. The electrodes can be coupled to a voltage or power source. When current flows through the electrodes, locally the temperature rises heating up at the same time the glass and thus removing formed ice or humidity (analogous to the functionality many cars have right now on the back wind window).

Example 3

A transparent anti-theft system is schematically depicted in Fig. 5. Transparent or opaque electrodes 52 can be deposited, such as in the form of printed circuitry, on a substrate 53, such as glass (which can be in the form of a glass window). A frame 54 can be provided about the periphery of the glass substrate 53. The electrodes can be provided in such a way that they look like a company logo or a drawing for domestic applications. Through the window frame 54 the electrodes 52 can be connected to a power source and to an alarm system 55 that will be activated when the circuitry is interrupted, such as when the glass 52 breaks. Alternatively the electrodes 52 can be coupled wirelessly by any of the known wireless systems for transmitting a signal. Example 4

In one or more aspects, a device can be provided comprised of a plurality of electrodes, such as a pair of electrodes, affixed to the protective dielectric barrier (parabolic or flat) of a CCTV camera housing. The electrodes can be electrically connected or coupled to a voltage source. The same power source can be applied to both electrodes of a pair of electrodes, or separate power sources can be used one for powering each electrode. The pair of electrodes can be affixed to the same side of the dielectric barrier. The electrodes in the electrode pair can have different sizes, where one electrode is larger in size than the other electrode of the pair of electrodes, and the electrodes can be separated by an inter- electrode space. The electrodes in the electrode pair can be made of any material that is an electrical conductor, including transparent materials such as and not limited by indium-doped tin oxide (ITO), fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO), silver nanowires (Ag NW), copper nanowires (Cu NW), silver nanoparticles, etc. The electrodes in the electrode pair can be of any suitable geometry. One skilled in the art will be able to recognize a suitable electrode material, size, and geometry. In order to affix the pair of electrodes on a parabolic or a 3D structure, a multi-axis CNC robotic arm may be employed.

Example 5

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, a tandem device 60 can be provided. The tandem device can consist of a transparent or selectively transparent (in terms of wavelength) electrical heater and an ionic wind corona discharge device or a transparent heater and a DBD plasma actuator separated by dielectric barriers, as schematically depicted in Figs. 6, 7, 8. The device 60 can include a dielectric barrier 63 and two or more electrodes 62 positioned about the dielectric barrier 63. A controller 66 can be coupled to the electrodes 62 and to a power supply 67. The tandem configuration can be applied on, but not limited to screens (like the screen of an ATM machine), as generally depicted in Fig. 8, or transparent surfaces (like windows) or CCTV camera lenses (both parabolic and flat) helping defrost the surface and prevent dust particle accumulation at the same time. Ratios, concentrations, amounts, and other numerical data may be expressed in a range format. It is to be understood that such a range format is used for convenience and brevity, and should be interpreted in a flexible manner to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. To illustrate, a concentration range of "about 0.1% to about 5%" should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited concentration of about 0.1 % to about 5 %, but also include individual concentrations (e.g., 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) and the sub-ranges (e.g., 0.5%, 1.1%, 2.2%, 3.3%, and 4.4%) within the indicated range. In an embodiment, the term "about" can include traditional rounding according to significant figure of the numerical value. In addition, the phrase "about 'x' to 'y'" includes "about 'x' to about 'y'.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of possible implementations. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

Claims

We claim:

1 . A method of printing one or more electrodes on a dielectric material, comprising the steps of:

providing the dielectric material having one or more surfaces;

providing an ink formulation including a solid electrically conductive component, or a non-conductive ink formulation that will become conductive upon thermal, chemical, infrared, or UV radiation annealing or sintering or a combination thereof; and

depositing said ink formulation on the one or more surfaces of said dielectric material using a contact or a non-contact printer to create said one or more electrodes on said one or more surfaces of said dielectric material,

wherein said printer includes a cartridge temperature, a droplet volume, a print head height, and a firing frequency, and said dielectric material has a surface temperature, effective for depositing said ink formulation on the one or more surfaces of said dielectric material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a pair of electrodes is deposited on said one or more surfaces of said dielectric material.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said electrode pair comprises a first electrode and a second electrode, said first electrode and said second electrode having different physical dimensions.

4. The method of any of claims 1 -3, wherein said substrate is a rigid dielectric surface selected from the group consisting of glass, sapphire, quartz and mica, or a flexible dielectric surface selected from the group consisting of poiyirnides (i.e. KAPTON), polyethylene terephthalates (PET), poiyurethanes (PU), polyethylene naphthalates (PEN, like Teonex), and polycarbonates (i.e. LEXAN).

5. The method of any of claims 1-4, wherein said solid electrically conductive component comprises a metal element, an alloy or a pristine or doped oxide, or any combination thereof.

6. The method of any of claims 1-5, wherein said ink formulation is a nanoparticle ink having a viscosity of about 5 cP to about 20 cP, a surface tension of about 25 dyn/cm to about 40 dyn/cm, a density of about 1.01 g/ml to about 1.45 g/ml, a solid content of about 20% to about 60%, or any combination thereof.

7. The method of any of claims 1-5, wherein said ink formulation is a nanoflake paste having a density of about 6 g/ml to about 14 g/ml, a solid content of about 60% to about 95% or a viscosity of about lOOOOOcP to about 500000cP or any combination thereof.

8. The method of any of claims 1-6, wherein said ink formulation is a nanoparticle ink, the nanoparticles therein having a diameter of about 5nm to about 100nm.

9. The method of any of claims 1-6, wherein said ink formulation is a nanoflake paste, the nanoflakes therein having a diameter of about 100nm to about 400nm.

10. The method of any of claims 1-9, wherein the printer includes a cartridge and the cartridge has a temperature of about room temperature to about 60°C, or the dielectric material has a temperature of about room temperature to about 70°C, or both.

11. The method of any of claims 1-10, wherein said droplet volume is about 1 pL to about 80pL, said print head height is about 0.1 mm to about 15mm, or said firing frequency is about 1 kHz to about 80kHz, or any combination thereof.

12. A device produced in accordance with any of the claims 1-11 , wherein the device is an ionic wind generator, a device for de-icing a surface of the dielectric material or de-humidifying a surface of the dielectric material.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the dielectric material is selected from the group consisting of a lens of a camera an optical sensor, a window, or a windshield of a vehicle.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the device is a tandem device comprising a transparent or selectively transparent (in terms of wavelength) electrical heater and an ionic wind corona discharge device or a transparent heater and a DBD plasma actuator separated by dielectric barriers,