American Chemical Society's weekly PressPac -- Jan. 23, 2008

Researchers in California report a key advance in efforts to use inkjet printing technology in the manufacture of a new generation of low cost, high-performance electronic circuits for flexible video displays and other products. Their study, which describes development of a new method for producing straighter, uniform circuits using inkjet-printing, is scheduled for the March 4 issue of ACS’ Langmuir, a bi-weekly publication.

In the report, Dan Soltman and Vivek Subramanian note that inkjet-printed circuits must be extremely smooth and straight. That difficult feat has been elusive because the drop-by-drop nature of inkjet-printing often leaves uneven printed features on surfaces, especially a circular pattern known as the “coffee ring” effect, they note.

The scientists describe a new way to optimize printing conditions to eliminate the coffee-ring effect and produce smooth, narrow lines with an even edge. The development demonstrates the feasibility of tuning and optimizing inkjet technology for microelectronic applications, they say. — MTS

ARTICLE #4 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE “Inkjet-Printed Line Morphologies and Temperature Control of the Coffee Ring Effect”

DOWNLOAD ARTICLE http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/la7026847

CONTACT: Dan Soltman
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, Calif. 94720
Phone: 510-643-4232
Email:

ARTICLE #5 EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, Jan. 28, 2008

Converting sewage into drinking water: Wave of the future?
Chemical & Engineering News

Amid growing water shortages in parts of the United States, more communities are considering tapping their sewage treatment plants as a new source of drinking water. The conversion of wastewater into tap water could help meet increased demand for one of life’s most essential resources, according to an article [http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/86/8604sci4.html] scheduled for the Jan. 28 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS’s weekly newsmagazine.

C&EN Associate Editor Jyllian Kemsley notes in the article that some communities have used recycled wastewater for decades to replenish their drinking water supplies and wastewater often finds agricultural use for irrigation. Droughts, environmental concerns, and population growth now are forcing water utilities to consider adapting or expanding the practice, Kemsley explains.

Earlier in January, for instance, California approved operation of the Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF), the largest water reclamation plant in the nation. It will yield 70 million gallons per day of drinkable water from sewage. That’s about 10 percent of the district’s daily water demand for its 2.3 million residents. Although AWPF’s purification process is complex, it produces clean, pure water that meets or exceeds all drinking water standards, the article notes.