Air-stable silver-coated copper particles of sub-micrometer size

Silver-coated copper particles with various silver loading were prepared by a direct liquid-to-particle conversion process in spray pyrolysis reactor system. The prepared particles were completely densified at 900°C within a residence time of 2.1 s and had core-shell structure, of which formation mechanism was proposed. The mean diameter of particles was 0.45 μm. Copper particles of 20 wt.% of silver loading were stable under air and 95% of copper remained as metallic copper even after 1 month of exposure to air. This enhanced air-stability contributed to the enhanced electrical property of conductive film obtained from the coated particles. The conductive film obtained from 15 wt.% of silver-coated copper particles had a sheet resistance of 1.2 mΩ square(-1). This low resistance resulted from the lack of oxide layer and low sintering temperature of silver layer.