Facile Preparation of Monodisperse Cu@Ag Core–Shell Nanoparticles for Conductive Ink in Printing Electronics

Copper-based nanoinks are emerging as promising low-cost alternatives to widely used silver nanoinks in electronic printing. However, the spontaneous oxidation of copper under ambient conditions poses significant challenges to its broader application. To address this issue, this paper presents an economical, large-scale, and environmentally friendly method for fabricating Cu@Ag nanoparticles (Cu@Ag NPs). The as-prepared nanoparticles exhibit a narrow size distribution of approximately 100 nm and can withstand ambient exposure for at least 60 days without significant oxidation. The Cu@Ag-based ink, with a 60 wt% loading, was screen-printed onto a flexible polyimide substrate and subsequently heat-treated at 290 °C for 15 minutes under a nitrogen atmosphere. The sintered pattern displayed a low electrical resistivity of 25.5 μΩ·cm (approximately 15 times the resistivity of bulk copper) along with excellent reliability and mechanical fatigue strength. The innovative Cu@Ag NPs fabrication method holds considerable potential for advancing large-scale applications of copper-based inks in flexible electronics.

[1]  Fred P. Liza,et al.  3D printing of metals using biodegradable cellulose hydrogel inks , 2021, Additive Manufacturing.

[2]  M. Mariatti,et al.  Recent Development in Silver-Based Ink for Flexible Electronics , 2021, Journal of Science: Advanced Materials and Devices.

[3]  Nemai Chandra Karmakar,et al.  Screen printed chipless RFID tags on packaging substrates , 2021, Flexible and Printed Electronics.

[4]  S. Lanceros‐Méndez,et al.  Eco-friendly and cost-efficient inks for screen-printed fabrication of copper indium gallium diselenide photoabsorber thin films. , 2021, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[5]  C. Knapp,et al.  MODs vs. NPs: Vying for the Future of Printed Electronics , 2021, Chemistry.

[6]  H. Kawasaki,et al.  Surface and Interface Designs in Copper-Based Conductive Inks for Printed/Flexible Electronics , 2020, Nanomaterials.

[7]  J. Papapolymerou,et al.  A Chip-First Microwave Package Using Multimaterial Aerosol Jet Printing , 2020, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.

[8]  Xiaofeng Dai,et al.  Room temperature sintering of Cu-Ag core-shell nanoparticles conductive inks for printed electronics , 2019, Chemical Engineering Journal.

[9]  Li Yang,et al.  Silver Nanoparticles Based Ink with Moderate Sintering in Flexible and Printed Electronics , 2019, International journal of molecular sciences.

[10]  S. Magdassi,et al.  Plasma-Induced Decomposition of Copper Complex Ink for the Formation of Highly Conductive Copper Tracks on Heat-Sensitive Substrates. , 2017, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[11]  K. Suganuma,et al.  Highly reliable and highly conductive submicron Cu particle patterns fabricated by low temperature heat-welding and subsequent flash light sinter-reinforcement , 2017 .

[12]  Z. Cai,et al.  Photochemical Copper Coating on 3D Printed Thermoplastics , 2016, Scientific Reports.

[13]  A. Kell,et al.  Pyridine-copper(ii) formates for the generation of high conductivity copper films at low temperatures. , 2016, Chemical communications.

[14]  G. Veith,et al.  Low-Thermal-Budget Photonic Processing of Highly Conductive Cu Interconnects Based on CuO Nanoinks: Potential for Flexible Printed Electronics. , 2016, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[15]  Chunyue Liu,et al.  Microstructure and electrical property of copper films on a flexible substrate formed by an organic ink with 9.6 % of Cu content , 2015, Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics.

[16]  Abdul Majid Soomro,et al.  Direct synthesis of graphene 3D-coated Cu nanosilks network for antioxidant transparent conducting electrode. , 2015, Nanoscale.

[17]  Dongming Zhang,et al.  Preparation and characterization of copper/silver bimetallic nanowires with core‐shell structure , 2015 .

[18]  K. Suganuma,et al.  The effect of light and humidity on the stability of silver nanowire transparent electrodes , 2015 .

[19]  V. Roy,et al.  A one-pot route to the synthesis of alloyed Cu/Ag bimetallic nanoparticles with different mass ratios for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol , 2015 .

[20]  Ulrich S. Schubert,et al.  Progress of alternative sintering approaches of inkjet-printed metal inks and their application for manufacturing of flexible electronic devices , 2014 .

[21]  Zhi‐ying Zhang,et al.  Copper inks formed using short carbon chain organic Cu-precursors , 2014 .

[22]  A. Kell,et al.  Photosintering and electrical performance of CuO nanoparticle inks , 2014 .

[23]  W. Zhou,et al.  Controlled fabrication of Cu–Sn core–shell nanoparticles via displacement reaction , 2014 .

[24]  Jong-Hyun Lee,et al.  Preparation and oxidation behavior of Ag-coated Cu nanoparticles less than 20 nm in size , 2014 .

[25]  S. Schlücker.  Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: concepts and chemical applications. , 2014, Angewandte Chemie.

[26]  Hyunkyoo Kang,et al.  Direct intense pulsed light sintering of inkjet-printed copper oxide layers within six milliseconds. , 2014, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[27]  R. Sun,et al.  Facile preparation of monodisperse, impurity-free, and antioxidation copper nanoparticles on a large scale for application in conductive ink. , 2014, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[28]  K. Shinozaki,et al.  High-intensity pulse light sintering of silver nanowire transparent films on polymer substrates: the effect of the thermal properties of substrates on the performance of silver films. , 2013, Nanoscale.

[29]  F. Egitto,et al.  Highly conductive lines by plasma-induced conversion of inkjet-printed silver nitrate traces , 2013 .

[30]  Yong-Won Song,et al.  Cu ion ink for a flexible substrate and highly conductive patterning by intensive pulsed light sintering. , 2013, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[31]  Yunxia Jin,et al.  Copper nanoparticles: aqueous phase synthesis and conductive films fabrication at low sintering temperature. , 2013, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[32]  Yunxia Jin,et al.  Antioxidative effect of lactic acid-stabilized copper nanoparticles prepared in aqueous solution , 2012 .

[33]  S. Ko,et al.  One-Step Fabrication of Copper Electrode by Laser-Induced Direct Local Reduction and Agglomeration of Copper Oxide Nanoparticle , 2011 .

[34]  S. Magdassi,et al.  Copper Nanoparticles for Printed Electronics: Routes Towards Achieving Oxidation Stability , 2010, Materials.

[35]  Shlomo Magdassi,et al.  Formation of air-stable copper–silver core–shell nanoparticles for inkjet printing , 2009 .

[36]  Younan Xia,et al.  Controlling the Thickness of the Surface Oxide Layer on Cu Nanoparticles for the Fabrication of Conductive Structures by Ink‐Jet Printing , 2008 .

[37]  M. Cieslar,et al.  Precision of electrical resistivity measurements , 2007 .