Preparation of Bimodal Silver Nanoparticle Ink Based on Liquid Phase Reduction Method

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Improving electrical conductivity in metal particle inks is crucial for advanced electronic applications.
• Current methods often face limitations in enhancing conductivity without increasing metal content or altering particle characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel method for preparing metal-filled particles to enhance ink conductivity.
• To investigate the effect of these filled particles on particle size distribution and ink properties.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of metal-filled particles with small volume and good fluidity.
• Incorporation of filled particles into metal particle inks to modify size distribution.
• Analysis of particle stacking using Horsfield's model.
• Measurement of ink resistivity before and after sintering.

Main Results:

• Addition of filled particles created a bimodal particle size distribution, consistent with Horsfield's stacking model.
• Silver content increased slightly from 15 wt% to 16.5 wt%.
• Electrical conductivity significantly improved, with resistivity decreasing from 70.2 μΩ∙cm to 31.2 μΩ∙cm after sintering.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method effectively enhances the electrical conductivity of metal particle inks.
• The filled particles optimize particle packing, improving conductivity without substantial changes in metal solid content.
• This simple and efficient preparation method offers high material utilization and potential applicability to other metal particle inks.