Capacitive touch on NanoPaper

What we built

Two silver electrode patterns were printed on Tangho NanoPaper™ and covered with an insulating laminate. Connected to a readout, the construction detected a finger touching the laminate above the printed electrodes.

Materials and equipment

• Substrate: NanoPaper sheet.
• Conductive ink: ACI Materials FS0142 flexible silver ink.
• Printing method: direct ink writing on a Voltera NOVA.
• Touch surface: a polyurethane laminated insulating layer.
• Readout: external electronics connected to the printed electrodes.

From printed electrodes to a touch interface

1. Print the electrode geometry. NOVA deposited the silver ink along the two electrode patterns and their connections.
2. Process the silver. This demonstration used 150 °C for 12 minutes, as recorded in the April 2026 webinar materials.
3. Add the insulating layer. The polyurethane laminate covered the conductive features, creating the surface touched by the user.
4. Connect and test. The printed electrodes were connected to the readout, and touch at the electrode positions produced a visible response.

The 12-minute profile belongs to this particular demonstration. The current TDS gives the general silver-ink processing example of 150 °C for 30 minutes; it remains the reference for published material guidance.

See the response

The clip demonstrates touch detection through the insulating layer. It does not measure calibrated sensitivity, response time or cycle life.

What matters for the next prototype

Electrode geometry, overlay thickness, connections and readout settings determine the complete interface response. For a product-specific evaluation, choose the required touch area and overlay, then check repeatability, bending, humidity exposure and repeated use. Inspect laminate adhesion and the printed-to-electronic connections along with the touch response.

Plan your own direct ink writing trial. For more about this demonstration, see the Voltera webinar recap.