Development of photovoltaic and energy efficient solutions via ink-jet printing on ceramic substrates

Abstract

[EN] The ceramic tile industry has become a very competitive market. Europe, which in the past was the leader in ceramic tile production, is now challenged by the expansion of other ceramic industries all over the world, such as China, India, Brazil, Turkey and Vietnam. This rivalry between countries all around the world, has been stimulating the development of new technological advancements in such industry over the last twenty years. One of the latest and most important technological advancements has been the introduction of digital inkjet printers into the production chains of ceramic tile industries, which has been revolutionising the ceramic decoration sector ever since its introduction during the beginning of the 20th century, with Spain and Italy as pioneers. Moreover, inkjet printers have also proved their suitability and efficiency for production of printed electronics and printing of functional materials. This kind of technological developments and the integration of functionalities onto ceramics is becoming key for tile producers as will be shown later. Thus, the aim of this project is to incorporate and embed conductive patterns in porcelain stoneware tiles by using a drop-on-demand inkjet printer, in order to design solutions to facilitate the integration of photovoltaic, energy storage and energy efficiency technologies in ceramic tiles. In order to control and analyse spreading and penetration of the ink on the substrate, the optimal inks for the purpose will be selected in order to achieve optimal results and initiate the industrial validation process later. This is a first step that when achieved will foster different new applications and possibilities for the development of ceramic tiles with technological added value in the ceramic tile industry in Valencia (Spain).