Conductive Ink from Jordan Bunker

There are so many cool projects out there that use conductive ink, but where to get the ink? Now you can DIY that part, too!

Jordan Bunker of Pumping Station: One in Chicago embarked on this chemistry project and documented the UIUC process into easy-to-follow instructions.

Conductive inks have a myriad of different interesting applications. As a quick, additive construction method for electronic circuits, they are especially intriguing. Unfortunately, for a long time they have been just out of reach of the hobby market. They are too expensive to buy in decent quantities, too complicated to make, too resistive to be practical, or require high annealing temperatures (which would ruin many of the materials you’d want to put traces on).

Now, thanks to some brilliant minds at the UIUC Materials Research Laboratory, you can make your own decent conductive ink!

As with most things worth doing, there are risks.

NOTE: Please don’t do this at home unless you understand the risks and dangers and know how to avoid them. In fact, it’s best that you have a chemist or someone experienced with how to handle chemicals properly help you.

Ammonium hydroxide is nasty stuff. Formic Acid is even worse (It’s basically liquid pain. It’s the chemical in ant bites and bee stings that makes them hurt). Please respect this stuff.

See the material list, full process, and trial and error on Jordan’s post.

More:
Drawing Circuits in Conductive Ink