High speed electrical measurement for roll-to-roll nanomanufacturing

Roll-to-roll processing of nanomaterials can produce high-quality coatings and filaments continuously, enabling materials applications for electronics, fabrics, and wires. These applications often require specific electrical properties that are correlated to the material's nanostructure. While several high-throughput structural characterizations techniques exist, there are relatively few contactless options for quantifying the electrical properties of materials for nanomanufacturing. Here, we demonstrate a microwave method for measuring complex permittivity (or geometry for samples of known dielectric properties) in a millisecond. The demonstrated measurement times are suitable for current industrial needs, allowing real-time materials characterization and in-line control of processing variables without disrupting production.