I want to spray-coat thin films from organic semiconducting or metallic inks. Can I use a spray gun for painting cars for this purpose? Since I'd like to start from spraying small-size devices first, won't it waste too much inks (these inks are expensive!)?
In common one can say yes, it is possible. But I think you have to do some preparation in first. You might want to have a consistent film thickness for a predictable conducting value. So, the spraying time and the distance should be constant. Even the spraying angle. To spraycoat thin film resists i.e. the substrate has to be spinned while beeing sprayed for good results. Good Luck!
Yes it can!
However, special care needs to be taken if you want to get a decent quality films. Also, do not expect to obtain really thin, and uniform layers. With this method, lumping ans non-uniform thickness are expected.
I would be surprised if a paint spray gun produces good results. They are designed to produce layers of paint up to 1 mm thick so I think the films will not be thin enough. And the spray pressure might not be high enough either. But good luck with your efforts!
Indeed you can, and with some practice you can get pretty good films. Like the other's have said, uniformity and repeatability of the films will depend on keeping the spraying parameters constant.
I would move away from the car spray guns and more towards smaller spray guns, like the ones used for body painting. They will have smaller nozzles and a much lower flow rate, making it possible to get sub mm layer thicknesses. Make sure the nozzle is bigger than the particle size in your ink, otherwise you will have a lot of problems with clogging. You can also try diluting the ink with more solvent to allow for even thinner layers.
Good luck!
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