he printing industry is an important part of China's national economy. In 2016, the total output value of the domestic industry was as high as 1.15 trillion yuan. Since the 1980s, the promotion of Chinese laser photo-distribution technology has made China's printing industry into a new era of "light and electricity." However, the laser photolithography technology requires exposure imaging like a camera film, and the use of chemicals such as development and fixing liquids causes a large amount of contamination. Even the most advanced computer-to-plate technology requires photographic pre-coating and chemical processing, which has caused the printing industry to face tremendous pressure from environmental pollution. The development of green printing technology is the current development trend of the international printing industry.

Nano-printing technology has its outstanding environmental advantages and broad development prospects. It is regarded as a new generation of green printing technology and has attracted the attention of the international printing industry. In nano-printing, construct micro/nano composite materials with special structure and properties, establish the theory and method of precise regulation of printing ink droplets, and develop universal micro/nano material printing patterning technology, which is nano printing material and function. The key to device applications.

Funded by the National Major Research and Development Program “Bionic Fluid Controllable Transport Micro/Nano Interface Materials”, the Song Yanlin team of the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences started from the essential relationship between the micro/nano interface material structure and the regulation of fluid transport performance. A series of basic researches on material system design, preparation methods, and functional material construction.

The team developed a series of key technologies from the principle innovation, such as: using the research results of droplet diffusion, fusion and adhesion behavior, to achieve precise control of ink droplets from zero-dimensional to three-dimensional structure, and developed universality. Nanoparticle patterning technology; using nano-transfer material and nano-micron structured plate surface infiltration control principle, develop nano-green plate-making technology without exposure rinsing; at the same time, for VOC emission problems caused by solvent-based ink, through The film-forming resin and pigment nanoparticles are designed to produce environmentally friendly inks that achieve good printing results on different plastic surfaces. 

Under the support of the above-mentioned key technologies, the team further completed the establishment of an innovative technology system for green printing industry chain including green plate making, green plate base and green ink. The establishment of a green printing plate-making center in the printing enterprise concentration area can cover more than 100 printing enterprises and play a leading role in the industry. With the support of the leading enterprises of the plate, the world's first non-electrolytic oxidation process-based demonstration production line was built, and the industry standard for new nano-green plates was formulated. At the same time, we actively cooperated with enterprises to establish a green ink scale production base and realized the wide application of green ink. The products have been exported to more than 10 countries and regions.   

In response to the future development of the printing industry, the Song Yanlin team further proposed and developed green printing manufacturing technology, realized the printing and manufacturing of micro-nano lines, and developed a series of micro-nano functional devices. The emergence of nano green printing technology marks that China has reached the international frontier in the field of green printing, opening up a new green, environmentally friendly and efficient printing method to promote the printing industry in China towards “green, functional, three-dimensional, and deviceized”. Development will also spawn more strategic emerging industries.

This article comes from: Ministry of Science and Technology