Submicron silver particle ink compositions, process and applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016160067-A1
Application number	US-201615044250-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 16, 2016
Priority date	Aug 16, 2013
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided herein are conductive ink compositions having a good balance between adhesion to substrate, stability of submicron-sized particles, the ability to be sintered at relatively low temperatures, and good electrical conductivity. In one aspect, there are provided conductive networks prepared from compositions according to the present invention. In certain aspects, such conductive networks are suitable for use in touch panel displays. In certain aspects, the invention relates to methods for adhering submicron silver particles to a non-metallic substrate. In certain aspects, the invention relates to methods for improving the adhesion of a submicron silver-filled composition to a non-metallic substrate.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1 . A composition comprising:
stabilized submicron silver particles, a thermoplastic resin, and optionally an organic diluent.

2 . The composition of claim 1 wherein said stabilized submicron silver particles comprise silver particles having a particle size of at least about 100 nanometers but less than about 1 micrometer.

3 . The composition of claim 2 wherein said capping agent is polyvinyl alcohol, poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone), gum arabic, α-methacrylic acid, 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid or the disulfide derivative thereof, citric acid, trisodium citrate, stearic acid, palmitic acid, octanoic acid, decanoic acid, polyethylene glycol and derivatives thereof, polyacrylic acid and aminomodified polyacrylic acid, 2-mercaptoethanol, starch, or a mixture of any two or more thereof.

4 . The composition of claim 2 wherein said capping agent comprises in the range of about 0.05 up to about 5 weight percent of the composition.

5 . The composition of claim 1 wherein said silver particles comprise in the range of about 20 up to about 95 weight percent of the composition.

6 . The composition of claim 1 further comprising up to 5 weight percent of a non-silver conductive filler.

7 . The composition of claim 6 wherein said non-silver conductive filler is carbon black, graphite or carbon nanotube.

8 . The composition of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic resin is a vinyl copolymer, a polyester or a polyurethane.

9 . The composition of claim 8 wherein said vinyl copolymer comprises a first monomer and a second monomer, wherein:
said first monomer is selected from the group consisting of vinyl acetate, vinyl alcohol, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride and styrene, and
said second monomer is selected from the group consisting of a second vinyl acetate, a second vinyl alcohol, a second vinyl chloride, a second vinylidene chloride, a second styrene, an acrylate and a nitride.

10 . The composition of claim 9 wherein said first monomer is vinylidene chloride and said said second monomer is vinyl chloride, acrylonitrile, or an alkyl acrylate.

11 . The composition of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic resin comprises in the range of about 0.1 up to about 15 weight percent of the composition.

12 . The composition of claim 1 further comprising in the range of about 0.1 up to about 5 weight percent of a thermoset resin.

13 . The composition of claim 12 wherein said thermoset resin is an epoxy-functionalized resin, an acrylate, a cyanate ester, a silicone, an oxetane, a maleimide, or a mixture of any two or more thereof.

14 . The composition of claim 1 wherein said organic diluent is selected from the group consisting of ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, methoxy propyl acetate, alpha-terpineol, beta-terpineol, kerosene, dibutylphthalate, butyl carbitol, butyl carbitol acetate, carbitol acetate, ethyl carbitol acetate, hexylene glycol, high boiling alcohols and esters thereof, glycol ethers, ketones, esters, dibasic esters, benzene, toluene, xylene, hexane, cyclohexane, heptane, tetradecane, diethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, chloroform, dichloromethane, and mixtures of any two or more thereof.

15 . The composition of claim 1 wherein said organic diluent, when present, comprises in the range of about 5 up to about 80 weight percent of the composition.

16 . The composition of claim 1 , further comprising an acidic component.

17 . The composition of claim 16 wherein said acidic component is phosphoric acid, vinylphosphoric acid, polyphosphoric acid, formic acid, acetic acid, chloroacetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, oxalic acid, oleic acid, benzoic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, or a mixture of any two or more thereof.

18 . The composition of claim 16 wherein said acidic component comprises in the range of about 0.1 up to about 5 weight percent of the composition.

19 . A touch panel display comprising a transparent substrate having an electrically conductive layer thereon, wherein said electrically conductive layer comprises a cured layer of the composition of claim 1 .

20 . A method of preparing a conductive network, said method comprising:
applying a composition according to claim 1 to a suitable substrate, and thereafter sintering said composition.

21 . The method of claim 20 wherein said sintering is carried out at a temperature no greater than about 150° C. for a time in the range of 0.5 up to about 30 minutes.

22 . The method of claim 20 wherein said sintering is carried out at a temperature no greater than about 120° C. for a time in the range of 0.1 up to about 2 hours.

23 . The method of claim 20 wherein said substrate is polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, an epoxy resin, polyimide, polyamide, polyester, or glass.

24 . A conductive network prepared by the method of claim 20 .

25 . A conductive network comprising a sintered array of submicron silver particles having a resistivity of no greater than 1×10 −4 Ohms·cm.

26 . The conductive network of claim 25 further comprising a substrate therefor, wherein the adhesion between said conductive network and said substrate is at least level 1B, as determined by ASTM standard cross-cut tape test pursuant to test method D 3359-97.

27 . A method for adhering silver particles having a particle size in the range of about 100 up to about 1000 nanometers to a non-metallic substrate, said method comprising:
applying a composition according to claim 1 to said substrate, and thereafter sintering said composition.

28 . The method of claim 27 wherein said substrate is polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, an epoxy resin, polyimide, polyamide, polyester, or glass.

29 . A method for improving the adhesion of submicron silver particle-filled thermoplastic resin to a non-metalic substrate, said method comprising incorporating into said silver particle-filled thermoplastic resin:
a halogen-containing thermoplastic resin, and an organic diluent.

Assignees

• Henkel IP & Holding GmbH
• Henkel Ag & Co Kgaa

Inventors

• Xia Bo
• Oldenzijl Rudolf W
• Chen Jianping
• Dreezen Gunther

Classifications

• C09D11/52 Primary

  Electrically conductive inks · CPC title

• H05K2201/0154

  Polyimide · CPC title

• H01B1/02

  mainly consisting of metals or alloys · CPC title

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• H05K2201/0108

  Transparent · CPC title