title: Inkjet printing of TiO2/AlOOH heterostructures for the formation of interference color images with high optical visibility.
abstract: This paper describes a practical approach for the fabrication of highly visible interference color images using sol-gel ink technique and a common desktop inkjet printer. We show the potential of titania-boehmite inks for the production of optical heterostructures on various surfaces, which after drying on air produce optical solid layers with low and high refractive index. The optical properties of the surface heterostructures were adjusted following the principles of antireflection coating resulting in the enhancement of the interference color optical visibility of the prints by as much as 32%. Finally, the presented technique was optimized following the insights into the mechanisms of the drop-surface interactions and the drop-on-surface coalescence to make it suitable for the production of even thickness coatings suitable for printing at a large scale. We propose that the technology described herein is a promising new green and sustainable approach for color printing.
authors.affiliation: ITMO University, International Laboratory "Solution Chemistry of Advanced Materials and Technologies", Lomonosova 9, 191002, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: Aleksandr V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Yakovlev
authors.affiliation: ITMO University, Department of Nano-Photonics and Metamaterials, Saint Petersburg, Birzhevaya Line d. 14 lit. A, 191002, Russia.
authors.forename: Valentin A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Milichko
authors.affiliation: ITMO University, International Laboratory "Solution Chemistry of Advanced Materials and Technologies", Lomonosova 9, 191002, Saint Petersburg, Russia.|Inorganic Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Evgeny A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Pidko
authors.affiliation: ITMO University, International Laboratory "Solution Chemistry of Advanced Materials and Technologies", Lomonosova 9, 191002, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: Vladimir V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Vinogradov
authors.affiliation: ITMO University, International Laboratory "Solution Chemistry of Advanced Materials and Technologies", Lomonosova 9, 191002, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexandr V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Vinogradov