Structurally colored micron scaled pigments for inkjet printing

Bringing the concepts of structural color to printing applications

Project leader: F. Scheffold

Team: K. Fromm, E. Dufresne, M. Lattuada, U. Steiner

The recent breakthrough in the understanding of structurally colored materials found in nature also provides new design platforms for colored materials and pigments in a variety of applications such as packaging and coatings. A particularly appealing route is the design of pigments for inkjet printing. Inkjet applications however pose additional challenges with respect to pigment size and stability in suspension and during jetting and deposition. Among all materials presenting structural coloration, non-crystalline ones are of particular importance since they provide non-iridescent stable coloration, which is similar in appearance to conventional dyes. The goal of this project is to develop a platform for the fabrication of uniform colored pigments based on emulsion technology for direct inkjet printing and general-purpose printing applications.

Main investigator

Involved people