Control of particle segregation during drying of ceramic suspension droplets

Ink-jet printing of thick film combinatorial libraries involves the deposition and drying of drops of suspension containing many different powders. During drying, a peripheral ring of powder develops and segregation of the more mobile particles to the remaining liquid pool in the centre leaves behind a drop residue with non-uniform composition. The present work investigates the effectiveness of organic ink additives that contribute a degree of thixotropy to the ink in reducing particle mobility and inhibiting particle segregation.