Methods for forming and using silver metal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10087331-B2
Application number	US-201615231817-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2016
Priority date	Aug 9, 2016
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

A method for providing electrically-conductive silver-containing metal in a thin film or one or more thin film patterns on a substrate. Electrically-conductive metallic silver is provided from a non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex represented by the following formula (I):

(Ag + ) a (L) b (P) c    (I)

wherein L represents an α-oxy carboxylate; P represents a 5- or 6-membered N-heteroaromatic compound; a is 1 or 2; b is 1 or 2; and c is 1, 2, 3, or 4, provided that when a is 1, b is 1, and when a is 2, b is 2. A photosensitizer can also be present. The reducible silver ions in the photosensitive thin film or photosensitive thin film pattern can be photochemically converted to electrically-conductive metallic silver in the thin films or thin film patterns by irradiation with electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength within the range of at least 150 nm and up to and including 700 nm.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for providing electrically-conductive silver metal in a product article without electrochemical plating, comprising:
providing a photosensitive thin film or a photosensitive thin film pattern on a substrate, the photosensitive thin film or photosensitive thin film pattern comprising:
a) a non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex comprising a reducible silver ion complexed with an α-oxy carboxylate and a 5- or 6-membered N-heteroaromatic compound,
the non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex being represented by the following formula (I):
(Ag ÷ ) a (L) b (P) c    (I)

wherein L represents the α-oxy carboxylate wherein the α-carbon atom attached directly to the carboxyl group has a hydroxyl, oxy, or oxyalkyl substituent group; P represents the 5- or 6-membered N-heteroaromatic compound; a is 1 or 2; b is 1 or 2; and c is 1, 2, 3, or 4, provided that when a is 1, b is 1, and when a is 2, b is 2; and
b) optionally, a photosensitizer that can either reduce the reducible silver ion or oxidize the α-oxy carboxylate; and
photochemically converting reducible silver ions in the photosensitive thin film or photosensitive thin film pattern to electrically-conductive silver metal by irradiation of the photosensitive thin film or photosensitive thin film pattern with electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength within the range of at least 150 nm and up to and including 700 nm, to provide a product article having an electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern on the substrate without electrochemical plating.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article has a resistivity of less than 500 ohms/□.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein
after photochemically converting the reducible silver ions to electrically-conductive silver metal, contacting the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article with water or an aqueous or non-aqueous salt solution, and
optionally, drying the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein
after photochemically converting the reducible silver ions to electrically-conductive silver metal, contacting the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article with an aqueous or non-aqueous non-salt solution, and
optionally, drying the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein
after photochemically converting the reducible silver ions to electrically-conductive silver metal, contacting the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article with an aqueous or non-aqueous salt solution,
contacting the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article with water or an aqueous or non-aqueous non-salt solution, and
optionally, drying the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a continuous polyester web.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing the photosensitive thin film pattern using flexographic printing or inkjet printing.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complexes are present in the photosensitive thin film or photosensitive thin film pattern in an amount of at least 96 weight % and up to and including 99.5 weight % based on the total weight of the photosensitive thin film or photosensitive thin film pattern; and the photosensitizer is present in an amount of at least 0.5 weight % and up to and including 4 weight %, based on the total weight of the one or more non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complexes.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein L is represented by the following formula (II):

wherein R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are independently hydrogen or branched or linear alkyl groups.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein R 1 is hydrogen or a branched or linear alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and R 2 and R 3 are independently branched or linear alkyl groups having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, wherein any of the hydrogen atoms in the R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 branched or linear alkyl groups optionally can be replaced with a fluorine atom.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein L is represented by the following formula (III):

wherein R 4 is a branched or linear alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms and any of the hydrogen atoms in the R 4 branched or linear alkyl group optionally can be replaced with a fluorine atom.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the 5- or 6-membered N-heteroaromatic compound has an oxidation potential of at least 1.0 V vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE); the α-oxy carboxylate has a first oxidation potential of at least 1.2 V vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE); and upon decarboxylation of the α-oxy carboxylate, a second radical is generated that has an oxidation potential of less than 1.0 V vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE).

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein L is selected from the group consisting of lactic acid, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-3,3-dimethylbutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-isobutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-2-methylbutyric acid, 2-ethyl-2-hydroxybutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-2,3-dimethylbutyric acid, 2-ethyl-2-methoxybutyric acid, 2-methoxy-2-methylpropanoic acid, 1-hydroxycyclopentane-1-carboxylic acid, 2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dimethylsuccinic acid, 2,4-dihydroxy-2,4-dimethylpentanedioic acid, pyruvic acid, 3-methylpyruvic acid, 3,3-dimethylpyruvic acid, 3,3-dimethyl-2-oxobutanoic acid, 3,3-dimethyl-2-oxopentanoic acid, and 2,3-dioxosuccinic acid, and mixtures thereof.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex is a silver lactate 2,6-dimethylpyridine complex, a silver lactate 2,4,6-trimethylpyridine complex, a silver lactate 3-chloropyridine complex, a silver 2-hydroxyisobutyrate pyridine complex, a silver 2-hydroxyisobutyrate 2,6-dimethylpyridine complex, a silver 2-ethyl-2-hydroxybutyrate pyridine complex, a silver 2-hydroxyisobutyrate oxazole complex, a silver lactate 3-fluoropyridine complex, a silver 2-hydroxyisobutyrate 3-fluoropyridine complex, a silver 2-hydroxyisobutyrate 2-methylpyrimidine complex, a silver 2-methoxyisobutyrate pyridine complex, a silver pyruvate pyridine complex, a silver 3-methyl-2-oxobutanate pyridine complex, or a silver lactate 4-methylpyrimidine complex.

15. A method for providing two or more electrically-conductive silver metal patterns in a product article without electrochemical plating, the method comprising:
providing a continuous substrate having a first supporting side and a second opposing supp

Assignees

• Eastman Kodak Co

Inventors

• Shukla Deepak
• Lenhard Jerome Robert
• Mis Mark R
• Donovan Kevin M

Classifications

• C23C18/143

  Radiation by light, e.g. photolysis or pyrolysis · CPC title

• C23C18/08

  characterised by the deposition of metallic material · CPC title

• C23C18/1603

  coating on selected surface areas · CPC title

• C09D5/24 Primary

  Electrically-conducting paints {(conductive materials H01B1/00)} · CPC title

• H01B1/02

  mainly consisting of metals or alloys · CPC title