  Inkjet printing of 8% Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) thin films is achieved by
designing a novel water-based reactive ink for Drop-on-Demand (DoD) inkjet
printing. The ink formulation is based on a novel chemical strategy that
consists of a combination of metal oxide precursors (zirconium alkoxide and
yttrium salt), water and a nucleophilic agent, i.e. n-methyldiethanolamine
(MDEA). This chemistry leads to metal-organic complexes with long term ink
stability and high precision printability. Ink rheology and chemical reactivity
are analyzed and controlled in terms of metal-organic interactions in the
solutions. Thin dense nanocrystalline YSZ film below 150 nm are obtained by low
temperature calcination treatments (400-500 {\deg}C), making the deposition
suitable for a large variety of substrates, including silicon, glass and
metals. Thin films and printed patterns achieve full densification with no
lateral shrinkage and high ionic conductivity.
