MAKING CONDUCTIVE INK

USING OLD BATTERIES, Group 4

PENCIL LEAD, AND 10 – Our Lady of
Lourdes
ACTIVATED CHARCOAL
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe (hydrogen, helium, and
oxygen found in higher amounts, by mass). It is the 15th most abundant element in
the Earth’s crust. The specific date when it is discovered was still unknown
because it was dated back since the prehistoric time. There’s no way for us to
reason out that it is hard to find in our surroundings. Carbon is something we use
on our daily lives, when we grill or even use pencil, it is in the form of coal and
graphite.
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The emerging market of conductive ink haven’t yet fully reach its peak. A few
companies have been starting to make their name known in the business such as
BareConductive in London and AgIC (Ag as the element symbol of Silver and IC
stands for Ink Circuit) in Japan.
“Although the initial growth of the printed electronics industry was not as fast as
expected, mainly due to too-high expectations, the printed electronics market
appears to have gained momentum,” (Sarah Wilson of Brewer Science, Inc.)
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
In our part as students, the high-end machines which they use are something we
cannot afford yet. And have given a chance to be resourceful and creative in our
own ways. It is our critical thinking that have brought us to look ahead of what we
something need in the future and advance in the technology particularly in
electrical matters. This project may bring changes in the future and affect larger
number of people alongside it may also need further researches.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Electricity is essential in our daily life.
The needs for installation for proper
wiring to use electricity is a requirement
for safety. However, these installations
cause unnecessary wires to lay around the
house and sometimes get tangled up if not
properly kept. Attempting to untangle the
wires can be tedious, hazardous and is
simply a dangerous thing to do as one
might get electrocuted by accident. In
aesthetic ways, wires can make a house
look untidy and messy, because it is
easily spotted when it crawls down the
walls or ceiling when connected to your
appliances.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This project aims to provide solution on
how to lessen the use of electric wiring in
homes by adopting a new technique
through a new way of conducting
electricity which is by creating a special
paint that can be a conductor of electricity
to simple and basic appliances at home,
school and work. We are going to
promote the use of carbon from batteries
as a new form of electric energy.
HYPOTHESIS
Conductive Ink will not work without powdered graphite.
If we don’t use acrylic paint, the ink will be very watery.
If we used 1-part acrylic and 1 part powdered graphite, the result will be thick.
DOCUMENTATION
DATA AND RESULTS
SOLUTE
VARIABLE
SOLVENT VARIABLE Description Amount of Resistance

Acrylic Paint The color is matte and the

Activated 100 ohms
  texture is smooth.
Charcoal
  Clear Glue Very pigmented and
Beyond 500 ohms
  smooth in texture.
Acrylic Paint Does not look like a paint
Beyond 500 ohms
Graphite   and grayish in color.
  Clear Glue The texture is rough, a bit
Beyond 500 ohms
  rocky and patchy.
Acrylic Paint The mixture is a bit
Beyond 500 ohms
  clumpy.
Carbon
  Very smooth and its
Clear Glue
consistency is like a real 15 ohms
 
paint.
DATA AND RESULTS
Ohm is the unit of measurement of
resistance meaning the closer it is to 0 the
more applicable it is to transmit energy from
the source, and the more conductive it is. In
the table, we can see that the mixture of
Carbon and clear glue has the least number
which means they have the greatest
potential among any other mixture. We can
also infer that the relationship between them
is indirect because the smaller values the
greater the potential of it. The mixtures
which have beyond 500 ohms most likely
cannot conduct electricity because they can
already be considered as an insulator
because their resistance is very high.
RECOMMENDATION
Our group suggests that this project needs further
research with the guidance of professionals in the field
of electrical and chemical engineering.
Researchers should be able to improvise their own
source of materials required in making the project.
It is advised to attempt multiple trials and add different
variables for better and more accurate results.