Stable colloidal dispersion of luminescing silicon nanoparticles for ink-jet printing

Over the past years, printing technologies have attracted considerable attention due to the possibility of manufacturing low cost printable electronic devices. Therefore, a high industrial demand exists on stabilized dispersions of nanoparticles in aqueous as well as non-aqueous solvents. In this study, we synthesize silicon nanoparticles (Si-NPs) in a gas phase microwave plasma reactor. The surface of Si-NPs is modified with organic ligands using thermally induced hydrosilylation. The particles with modified surface can be readily dispersed in a variety of organic solvents and the dispersion is stable for months. The stable Si-NP ink is used to print structures on glass substrate using ink-jet printing.