Sustainable Silver Ink Process Study on Low-Temperature Flexible Substrates

Abstract

A new generation of flexible electronics applications has been made possible by printing techniques that have proven highly effective and compatible with polymeric materials (inks and substrates). Their multiple uses in fields, including but not limited to medical imaging sensors, photovoltaic solar cells, transistors, and actuators, have sparked the field's recent rapid development. They are more durable, lighter, and portable, potentially becoming future low-cost electronics. Despite the noteworthy changes, environmentally unfriendly conduct has become a growing problem. Organic solvents have been widely employed in prior generations of additive inks for carrier fluids containing volatile organic compounds and a high cost of production during printing. The current study aims to improve the printing process by switching from solvent-based ink to water-based ink to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds from flexible electronics. Various process parameters, such as print speed and pressure, have been studied. These parameters substantially impact printed circuits' line width and height, affecting the printed circuit's mechanical and electrical properties. The impact of standoff height on printed trace resistance has also been investigated. Another factor that affects the mechanical and electrical properties of printed circuits is the sintering condition. The effect of varying the temperature and sintering time on the resistance of the printed line has also been examined.