An ultra-thin metal printing device

Abstract

This invention discloses an ultrathin metal printing device, including a fixed platform, a molten pool, a liquid injector, and a lifting device. An open groove is provided on one side of the molten pool, and a liquid injection hole is provided on the other side. A liquid injector is provided on one side of the molten pool and cooperates with the liquid injection hole. A glass plate is placed on the lifting device near the molten pool. Molten metal is injected into the open groove through the liquid injector. The molten metal flows to the position near the glass plate in the open groove and, under the action of surface tension, protrudes from the sidewall of the open groove. Under the action of the lifting device, the glass plate moves from below the opening of the molten pool upwards, contacting the molten metal and adhering to it. As the glass plate moves, a thin metal film is formed on the glass plate. This device can be used in ordinary environments; simply injecting molten metal into the open groove and lifting the glass plate is sufficient to prepare a metal film, making the device simple to operate and time-saving.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of metal thin film preparation technology, and more specifically to an ultrathin metal printing device. Background Technology

[0002] Organic photovoltaic (PV) cells represent a new generation of renewable energy. Their most notable advantages are their lightweight, thinness, and the potential for low-cost continuous printing manufacturing via solution processing. Currently, the mainstream method for preparing the top electrode of PV cells is vacuum evaporation. This involves a cumbersome and time-consuming evaporation and degassing process when entering and exiting the vacuum chamber. Furthermore, the preparation of the top electrode is complex and time-consuming. Other materials used to replace vacuum-evaporated metals as the top electrode of PV cells mainly include conductive polymers, silver nanowires, silver nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and graphene. However, these materials often contain solvents or additives or require high-temperature annealing, which can easily damage the active layer, resulting in poor top electrode performance.

[0003] Therefore, existing technologies still need to be improved and developed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide an ultrathin metal printing device, which aims to solve the problem that the preparation of the top electrode of organic photovoltaic cells by vacuum evaporation is cumbersome and time-consuming.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve the technical problem is as follows:

[0006] An ultrathin metal printing device, comprising a fixed platform, characterized in that it further comprises:

[0007] A molten pool is provided on the fixed platform. An open groove is provided on one side of the molten pool, and an injection hole is provided on the other side. The injection hole is connected to the open groove.

[0008] The injection device is located on one side of the molten pool and mates with the injection hole;

[0009] A lifting device is provided on the fixed platform and located on the side of the molten pool away from the injector; a glass plate is provided on the side of the lifting device close to the molten pool for driving the glass plate to rise and fall, and the lifting device drives the glass plate to slide vertically, with a gap between the glass plate and the molten pool.

[0010] Furthermore, an oxide layer blocker is provided at the top of the molten pool, and a baffle is provided on one side of the oxide layer blocker and located in the opening groove, with the two side walls of the baffle in contact with the two side walls of the opening groove.

[0011] Furthermore, the bottom wall of the opening groove is an inclined surface that gradually approaches the baffle from the opening groove toward the glass plate.

[0012] Furthermore, the bottom of the baffle is provided with a rounded corner on the side near the injection hole.

[0013] Furthermore, a heat radiation plate is provided on one side of the lifting device, and the heat radiation plate is located on the side of the glass plate away from the molten pool.

[0014] Furthermore, the heat radiation plate is provided with a plurality of first heating holes, and a heating rod is provided inside the first heating hole.

[0015] Furthermore, the lifting device includes:

[0016] A linear module is disposed on the surface of the fixed platform;

[0017] A fixed groove plate is disposed on one side of the linear module, the glass plate is disposed on the side of the fixed groove plate away from the linear module, and the heat radiation plate is disposed inside the fixed groove plate.

[0018] Furthermore, the molten pool is provided with a plurality of second heating holes, and heating rods are provided inside the second heating holes.

[0019] Furthermore, the injector includes:

[0020] The injection pipe is located on the side of the molten pool away from the lifting device, and one side of the injection pipe is connected to the injection hole;

[0021] A piston is positioned on the side of the injection tube away from the molten pool to push the liquid inside the injection tube into the molten pool.

[0022] A pushing device is disposed on one side of the injection tube and is used to push the propulsion piston.

[0023] Furthermore, a heating device is provided on the outer surface of the injection tube.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0025] In this invention, a molten pool and a lifting device are provided on a fixed platform. An open groove is provided on one side of the molten pool, and an injection hole is provided on the other side, which is connected to the open groove. An injector is provided on one side of the molten pool and cooperates with the injection hole for injecting molten metal into the open groove. The lifting device is located on the side of the molten pool away from the injector. A glass plate is provided on the side of the lifting device close to the molten pool. Molten metal is injected into the open groove through the injector. The molten metal flows to the position of the open groove near the glass plate and continues to flow towards the open side. Under the action of the surface tension of the molten metal, it will bulge out of the side wall of the open groove. Under the action of the lifting device, the glass plate moves from below the opening of the molten pool to above. The glass plate contacts the molten metal and the molten metal adheres to the glass plate. As the glass plate moves, the molten metal forms a metal film on the glass plate. This device can be used in ordinary environments. The metal film can be prepared simply by injecting molten metal into the open groove and lifting the glass plate, making the device simple to operate and time-saving. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the molten pool of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the injector of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the molten pool structure of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the baffle structure of the present invention.

[0031] The numbers in the figure represent: 1. Molten pool; 11. Opening groove; 12. Injection hole; 13. Second heating hole; 2. Injector; 21. Injection pipe; 22. Propulsion piston; 23. Pushing device; 3. Lifting device; 31. Glass plate; 32. Heat radiation plate; 321. First heating hole; 33. Linear module; 34. Fixed groove plate; 4. Oxide layer blocker; 41. Baffle. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and effects of this invention clearer and more explicit, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0033] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0034] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0035] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, this embodiment provides an ultrathin metal printing device, which can be specifically described as follows:

[0036] As attached Figure 1 Appendix Figure 2 and attached Figure 4As shown, an ultrathin metal printing device includes a fixed platform, a molten pool 1, a liquid injector 2, and a lifting device 3. The molten pool 1 and the lifting device 3 are fixedly mounted on the fixed platform, facing each other. A pad can be placed at the bottom of the molten pool 1 so that the molten pool 1 is positioned in the middle of the lifting device 3. An opening groove 11 is provided on one side of the molten pool 1, and a liquid injection hole 12 is provided on the other side, communicating with the opening groove 11. A liquid injector 2 is provided on one side of the molten pool 1, and the liquid injector 2 is connected to the liquid injection hole 12. The liquid injector 2 contains low-melting-point molten metal, which can be injected into the opening groove 11 through the liquid injection hole 12. Liquid metal is injected into the groove 11 and flows to the position of the groove 11. The lifting device 3 is located at the position of the groove 11. A glass plate 31 is set on the side of the lifting device 3 near the groove 11 to drive the glass plate 31 to rise and fall. The glass plate 31 can be driven to slide vertically by the lifting device 3. At the same time, there is a gap between the glass plate 31 and the side wall of the groove 11 of the molten pool 1 to prevent the glass plate 31 from contacting the molten pool 1 and causing scratches on the surface of the glass plate 31. At the same time, when the lifting device 3 lifts the glass plate 31, the molten pool 1 is fixed on the fixed platform and will not move with the rise and fall of the lifting device 3.

[0037] Furthermore, the lifting device 3 can be a mechanism that can move linearly, such as a continuous conveyor belt.

[0038] Specifically, the injector 2 injects molten metal into the opening groove 11 through the injection hole 12. The molten metal flows along the bottom wall of the opening groove 11 until it reaches the side wall of the opening groove 11 near the glass plate 31. Under its own surface tension, the molten metal protrudes a certain distance from the side wall of the opening groove 11. At this time, the lifting device 3 moves the glass plate 31 from below the molten pool 1 upwards. The molten pool 1 is in a fixed state. When the glass plate 31 approaches the opening groove 11, the molten metal contacts the surface of the glass plate 31 and adheres to the surface of the glass plate 31. As the lifting device 3 pulls, the glass plate 31 moves upward, and the molten metal forms a uniform metal sheet on the surface of the glass plate 31. The injection hole 12 is located at the bottom of the opening groove 11. After the glass plate 31 is removed from the molten metal, a certain amount of molten metal can be recovered through the injector 2 to prevent the molten metal from flowing out of the molten pool 1 and causing waste.

[0039] When the glass plate 31 comes into contact with the molten metal, the molten metal will be adsorbed onto the surface of the glass plate 31. At the same time, as the glass plate 31 moves, it will move the molten metal upward. Due to the gravity and surface tension of the molten metal, there is an upward force on the molten metal, so it will not move upward with the glass plate 31. However, the molten metal adhering to the surface of the glass plate 31 will move with the glass plate 31. This molten metal is relatively small. One side is adsorbed on the glass plate 31 and cools down to become solid. It is then lifted by the glass plate 31. The molten metal on the other side will form an oxide layer when it comes into contact with the air. It will also become solid. The molten metal between the two layers will flow downward under gravity. As the glass plate 31 is lifted, the molten metal will form a very thin metal film on the surface of the glass plate 31, which can effectively reduce the film thickness.

[0040] As described above, the glass plate 31 can be set to a certain length, and molten metal is injected at a uniform speed through the injector 2. Under the lifting of the lifting device 3, which has a lifting speed of 10-50 mm / s, a uniform thin film with a thickness of about 20 micrometers can be formed on the surface of the glass plate 31. By expanding or shrinking the dimensions of the transverse side walls of the opening groove 11 in the molten pool 1, metal films of different widths can be produced. Due to the high surface tension of molten metal, the wider the electrode, the larger the volume of surface tension-induced bulging. This results in the current limitation that only long strip electrodes with a width of about 4 mm can be produced. This solution effectively solves the problem of large-area preparation of metal films.

[0041] Furthermore, multiple second heating holes 13 are provided inside the molten pool 1. Heating rods are installed inside the second heating holes 13. The heating rods are electrically connected to a controller inside the fixed platform. The controller controls the heating rods to heat the molten pool 1, thereby preventing the molten metal from solidifying in the open slot 11 of the molten pool 1. By heating the molten pool 1, the molten metal is kept in a liquid state. Through the action of the heating rods, the temperature of the molten pool 1 is set at 20-30 degrees Celsius higher than the melting point of the metal.

[0042] Furthermore, the glass plate 31 can be replaced with PET (polyethylene terephthalate, commonly known as polyester resin), PI (polyimide), and PC (polycarbonate), etc.

[0043] As attached Figure 3 and attached Figure 5As shown, an oxide layer blocker 4 is provided at the top of the molten pool 1, and a baffle 41 is provided on one side of the oxide layer blocker 4. The baffle 41 is located on the side of the opening groove 11 near the glass plate 31, and the two side walls of the baffle 41 are in contact with the two side walls of the opening groove 11. The oxide layer blocker 4, together with the baffle 41, is used to prevent the oxide layer on the surface of the molten metal from flowing from the opening groove 11 to the side near the glass plate 31. Since the metal film is made by lifting the glass plate 31 back and forth, when the glass plate 31 is removed from the molten metal, the liquid injector 2 will draw the molten metal from the opening groove 11 to prevent the molten metal from flowing out. Under the reciprocating action of the injector 2 absorbing or injecting the molten metal in the molten pool 1, the oxide layer of the molten metal in the open groove 11 will become thicker and thicker. At the same time, the baffle 41 is set to block the oxide layer in the baffle 41 and prevent it from contacting the glass plate 31, so that the metal film formed on the glass plate 31 becomes thicker. When the injector 2 draws the molten metal in the open groove 11, the molten metal between the side wall of the open groove 11 and the baffle 41 will not be lower than the bottom wall of the baffle 41, preventing the oxide layer between the side wall of the open groove 11 and the baffle 41 from flowing to the side near the glass plate 31 through the bottom wall of the baffle 41.

[0044] Furthermore, the bottom wall of the opening groove 11 is an inclined surface that gradually approaches the baffle 41 from the opening groove 11 toward the glass plate 31. When the liquid injector 2 injects liquid, the liquid metal flows upward with the inclined surface until it reaches the contact position with the glass plate 31. At the same time, the inclined surface also prevents the liquid metal from flowing out of the opening groove 11.

[0045] Furthermore, the bottom of the baffle 41 is provided with a rounded corner on the side near the injection hole 12, so that the molten metal can flow along the rounded corner to the side of the opening groove 11 near the glass plate 31.

[0046] As attached Figure 3 As shown, a heat radiation plate 32 is provided on one side of the lifting device 3. The heat radiation plate 32 is located on the side of the glass plate 31 away from the molten pool 1. There is a gap between the heat radiation plate 32 and the glass plate 31. Multiple first heating holes 321 are provided inside the heat radiation plate 32. Heating rods are provided inside the first heating holes 321. The heating rods are connected to the controller inside the fixed platform. The heat radiation plate 32 is heated by the heating rods. The heat radiation plate 32 heats the glass plate 31 by heat radiation, so that the surface temperature of the glass plate 31 is in a uniform state, reducing the inversion of heat conduction temperature distribution, which would cause uneven temperature inside the glass plate 31 and uneven metal film formed on the surface of the glass plate 31.

[0047] As attached Figure 2 and attached Figure 3As shown, the lifting device 3 includes a linear module 33 and a fixed groove plate 34. The linear module 33 is disposed on the surface of the fixed platform. The molten pool 1 is located in the middle of the linear module 33, which facilitates the linear module 33 to drive the glass plate 31 to be located below the molten pool 1. The fixed groove plate 34 is fixed to the side of the linear module 33 near the molten pool 1. The linear module 33 drives the fixed groove plate 34 to move up and down. The glass plate 31 is disposed in the fixed groove plate 34 and is located on the side of the glass plate 31 away from the molten pool 1. There is a gap between the heat radiation plate 32 and the glass plate 31.

[0048] Furthermore, the fixing plate 34 has an open fixing groove, and a first fixing groove and a second fixing groove are provided on both sides inside the open fixing groove. The first fixing groove is close to the molten pool 1, and the second fixing groove is located on the side of the first fixing groove away from the molten pool 1. The glass plate 31 is placed in the first fixing groove, and the heat radiation plate 32 is placed in the second fixing groove.

[0049] As attached Figure 3 As shown, the liquid injector 2 includes a liquid injection tube 21, a push piston 22, and a push device 23. One side of the liquid injection tube 21 is connected to the liquid injection hole 12. The push piston 22 is located inside the liquid injection tube 21. The push device 23 is located on the side of the liquid injection tube 21 away from the molten pool 1. The push device 23 pushes the push piston 22 to make the liquid inside the liquid injection tube 21 flow evenly into the opening groove 11.

[0050] Furthermore, the actuating device 23 can be a cylinder, an electric cylinder, a motor with a screw, or a hydraulic rod, etc.

[0051] Furthermore, a heating device is provided on the outer surface of the injection tube 21 for heating the injection tube 21 and preventing the liquid metal inside the injection tube 21 from solidifying. The heating device can be a resistance heating wire or a heating rod wrapped around the surface of the injection tube 21.

[0052] Other embodiments of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the solutions disclosed herein. This invention is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention that follow the general principles of the invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the invention are indicated by the claims.

Claims

1. An ultra-thin metal printing device, comprising a fixed platform, characterized in that, Also includes: A molten pool is provided on the fixed platform. An open groove is provided on one side of the molten pool, and an injection hole is provided on the other side. The injection hole is connected to the open groove. The liquid injection device is located on one side of the molten pool and cooperates with the liquid injection hole; the liquid injection device can inject or withdraw molten metal into the open groove; A lifting device is provided on the fixed platform and located on the side of the molten pool away from the injector; a glass plate is provided on the side of the lifting device close to the molten pool for driving the glass plate to rise and fall, and the lifting device drives the glass plate to slide vertically, with a gap between the glass plate and the molten pool; An oxide layer blocker is provided at the top of the molten pool, and a baffle is provided on one side of the oxide layer blocker and located in the opening groove. The two side walls of the baffle are in contact with the two side walls of the opening groove. The molten metal between the side wall of the opening groove and the baffle is not lower than the bottom wall of the baffle. The bottom wall of the opening groove is an inclined surface that gradually approaches the baffle from the opening groove toward the glass plate; the bottom of the baffle is provided with a rounded corner on the side near the injection hole; a heat radiation plate is provided on one side of the lifting device, and the heat radiation plate is located on the side of the glass plate away from the molten pool.

2. The ultrathin metal printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat radiation plate is provided with a plurality of first heating holes, and a heating rod is provided inside the first heating hole.

3. The ultrathin metal printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting device includes: A linear module is disposed on the surface of the fixed platform; A fixed groove plate is disposed on one side of the linear module, the glass plate is disposed on the side of the fixed groove plate away from the linear module, and the heat radiation plate is disposed inside the fixed groove plate.

4. The ultra-thin metal printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The molten pool is provided with a plurality of second heating holes, and heating rods are provided inside the second heating holes.

5. The ultra-thin metal printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The injector includes: The injection pipe is located on the side of the molten pool away from the lifting device, and one side of the injection pipe is connected to the injection hole; A piston is positioned on the side of the injection tube away from the molten pool to push the liquid inside the injection tube into the molten pool. A pushing device is disposed on one side of the injection tube and is used to push the propulsion piston.

6. The ultrathin metal printing device according to claim 5, characterized in that, A heating device is provided on the outer surface of the injection tube.

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