In the USA, UniPixel has developed a low cost, transparent, conductive film manufactured in a roll to roll process by micro and nano-embossing a UV curable coating. This development has been rewarded with an Emerging Technology Award by RadTech—The Association for UV and EB Technologies.
The dominant technology used for transparent conductive films are thin films of ITO (or Indium Tin Oxide). However, ITO has several major problems such as cost, future availability and brittleness. Brittleness is a major difficulty for devices that use touchscreens or require a large degree of flexibility.
UniPixel has taken a novel approach in solving these problems by forming a template using an UV curable material to produce a complex grid that serves as a pattern for conductive inks. The resulting ink pattern at 5-10 micron line width produces a transparent, conductive film said to have excellent flexibility and conductive properties.
As the conductive grid can be produced at low cost using roll to roll coating equipment, it is claimed to offer a significant advantage over the production of most other conductive films - with excellent conductiveness, transparency, greater size and a lower cost than an ITO sheet for touchpanel screens.
UniPixel has also taken the concept of micro or nano-embossing UV curable films to develop anti-fingerprint films and security films.
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