In Situ Electrostatic Charge‐Assisted Wetting for Enhancing Interfacial Strength of Printed Electronics

ABSTRACT The interfacial properties between substrate and ink play a crucial role in the performance of aerosol jet (AJ) printed electronics. This study proposes a simple and effective in situ electrostatic‐assisted wetting method, which controls the deposition of negative charges onto the substrate to adjust wettability and optimize interfacial strength. The electrostatic charging‐assisted wetting device is integrated into the AJ printing system to achieve in situ negative charge deposition. The results demonstrate significantly improved ink wettability on a negatively charged substrate. The interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of electrostatically treated carbon fiber reinforced polymer and glass fiber reinforced polymer with epoxy acrylate (EA) ink increases by 85.6% and 51.7%. Concurrently, enhancements in IFSS of 19.8% and 15.3% were achieved for the glass/ silver nanoparticle (AgNP) ink and EA ink/AgNP ink, respectively. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of EA ink wetting on SiO 2 substrate confirm that interfacial enhancement primarily originates from ink penetration into the surface's grooves via electrostatic attraction, establishing a conformal interface. The proposed electrostatic‐assisted wetting method is a facile and cost‐effective strategy providing effective interfacial enhancement for AJ printed electronics.