Screen printing is a technology that deposits micrometer thick structures and patterns with linewidths as small as 50 micrometer. It is an ideal technology to deposit conductive inks on substrates ranging from flat and smooth (foils) to rough (textiles) and porous (paper). Printed sensors are typical devices that can be deposited with this technology. Further, once printed on a 2D carrier, the integration of off-the-shelf SMD components with conductive adhesives and the forming to 3D devices is achievable.

For thinner (sub-micron) structures on substrates that might not support contact as is the case with screen printing, inkjet printing could be applied. Graphene-oxide, metal-organic based inks and even diamond nanoparticles could be adopted for their deposition on rigid or flexible substrates. Adaptation of the process towards dispensing in general could be used to deposit liquid metals, a material applied within stretchable electronics.

When large-area coatings are needed, however with a thickness below 100nm, ultrasonic spray coating could be applied. Organic and perovskite light emitting diodes are studied. These multi-layer devices need non-contact droplet-based deposition. Upscaling these devices to larger area (at least 10x10cm²) is an aim and when thinner coatings (below 30nm) are requested, adaptation of this ultrasonic spray coating technology, to for example spray-on-screen is being researched. Innovation in deposition technology and understanding the deposition process and the layer formation are key.

The Institute for Materials Research (imo), based at the Hasselt University campus in Diepenbeek, has built a vast expertise in the field of materials science since its foundation in 1990. In 2001, a strategic alliance was established with imec, based in Leuven. Imec founded imomec, an associated laboratory within the premises of imo. As such, imo-imomec is a joint research institute where fundamental research, strategic basic research, and application-oriented research is conducted. In 2015, UHasselt/imo-imomec joined EnergyVille in Genk to carry out its energy-related research.

About 160 FTE's are employed at imo-imomec, of which about 80 students are preparing their Ph.D. The team is strongly multidisciplinary: chemists, physicists, and engineers are working together to develop the material systems of tomorrow. Anno 2022, imo-imomec can rely on more than 5000 m² of state-of-the-art lab infrastructure, divided over four different locations.

The core competence of imo-imomec is the development and characterization of new material systems with potential use in sustainability and health. In the domain of sustainability, imo-imomec focuses on energy conversion, energy storage, and sustainable materials. In the domain of health, the focus of the research programs relates to the development of advanced technologies for sensing via dedicated analytical techniques and systems for sensing based on quantum technologies.