1-Dimethylamino-2-propanol (DP) was added to silver nitrate to fabricate silver conductive lines by inkjet printing at low sintering temperatures on flexible PET substrates. Using an optimal ratio of a mixed solvent (ethanol and ethylene glycol), the morphology of the pattern surface and the formation of coffee-rings could be controlled. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the AgNO 3 /DP inks were converted to silver completely at low temperatures. Using the AgNO 3 /DP inks, continuous and smooth silver conductive lines with a resistivity of 1.37 ( 0.44 Â 10 À5 Ω cm were fabricated at 100 °C by an inkjet printing system. This resistivity was close to the resistivity of bulk silver.

In this paper, silver nanowires were synthesized by a polyol method in the presence of PVP with Pt seeds. The silver nanowires were added to silver nitrate to form a binary hybrid ink to fabricate silver conductive lines by ink-jet printing on a flexible Kapton Ò substrate. The silver nanowires were used as an additive to the silver inks to lower the concentration of silver nitrate. The additive increased the ink's viscosity and promoted the conductivity of silver lines produced by ink-jet printing. Using a 20 wt% silver nitrate-silver nanowire ink, continuous and smooth silver conductive lines with a resistivity of 7.31 Â 10 À5 U cm could be fabricated by the ink-jet printing system.

In this paper, a high molecular weight organic compound, poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP), was added to silver nitrate to fabricate silver conductive lines and arrays by inkjet printing on flexible Kapton substrates. With the assistance of PVP, the dimension of conductive lines can be controlled more accurately. In addition, the morphological control and resolution of arrays and lines were further improved by using UV/O3 treatment of substrates and changing the substrate temperature. The silver nitrate/PVP inks can be reduced in ethylene glycol vapor to form silver conductive lines at low temperatures. By using a high concentration of silver nitrate/PVP ink, continuous and smooth silver conductive lines with a resistivity of 2.71 × 10−5 Ω cm have been produced. Their resistivity is close to the resistivity of bulk silver.

No abstract

Aqueous silver nitrate inks of 1, 5, and 10 mol/liter (M) were employed in a piezoelectric inkjet printing apparatus to construct microstructural patterns. On the basis of droplet observation, single droplets of silver nitrate inks were ejected at a suitable pulse amplitude of waveform. The characteristics of drying processes for silver nitrate solutions were investigated after measuring the contact angle on the prepared glass substrates. Because of the crystallization of silver nitrate, the decrease of local surface tension was induced with decreasing solute concentration. In addition, local surface tension was possibly reduced by exothermal reaction during the formation of crystal solid. The actual printing qualities of array and line patterns were then analyzed by variation of dot interval and substrate temperature. The pure silver patterns were reduced by ethylene glycol vapor at 250 °C for 10 min. Unsteady spreading features of printed array and line patterns on hydrophilic glass are found to be due to silver nitrate crystal during droplet drying, which is dominated by solute concentration and substrate temperature. Optimal printing quality with a continuous morphology of fine lines was generated successfully with a dot interval of 40 μm and an average line width of 90 μm at substrate temperature of 90 °C.