Recent progress in printing flexible electronics: A review

Miniaturization and flexibility are becoming the trend in the development of electronic products. These key features are driving new methods in the manufacturing of such products. Printed electronics technology is a novel additive manufacturing technique that uses active inks to print onto a diverse set of substrates, realizing large-area, low-cost, flexible and green manufacturing of electronic products. These advantageous properties make it extremely compatible with flexible electronics fabrication and extend as far as offering revolutionary methods in the production of flexible electronic devices. In this paper, the details of a printing process system are introduced, including the materials that can be employed as inks, common substrates, and the most recently reported printing strategies. An assessment on future setbacks and developments of printed flexible electronics is also presented.