Thermally Activated Ionic Ink for Fast, Cleaner Conductive Film Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing conductive ink preparation processes are cumbersome, time-consuming, costly, and environmentally harmful due to solvent pollution and high toxicity, particularly from the use of micron/nano metal particles and organic impurities like resins and cellulose derivatives.
Innovation Solution
A method for preparing in-situ thermally activated ionic ink by mixing precursors with reductive solvents at room temperature, eliminating the need for micron/nano metal particle preparation and organic impurities, and allowing direct coating and sintering on a substrate to form conductive films.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional methods are used to prepare conductive ink with micron/nano metal particles, then the ink can achieve good conductivity, but the preparation process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-synthesizing and storing micron/nano metal particles before ink preparation. The particles are prepared in advance through physical or chemical methods, purified, dried, and stored for later use. This separates the particle synthesis step from the ink formulation step, making the actual ink preparation faster and more efficient while maintaining particle quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the conductive ink preparation process into two independent stages: (1) micron/nano metal particle synthesis and purification, and (2) ink formulation by dispersing particles in solvent with additives. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently and enables parallel processing, improving overall productivity without compromising conductivity.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional conductive ink preparation methods are used, then the ink can be formulated with stabilizing additives, but serious solvent pollution and high toxicity occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the chemical composition parameters of the ink formulation. It uses metal salts (copper sulfate, silver nitrate, nickel chloride, cobalt chloride, gold chloride) as precursors instead of conventional organic binders and resins. The ink consists of metal salt solution, conductive filler, and solvent without toxic organic additives, changing the chemical parameters to eliminate pollution while maintaining stability through the inherent properties of the metal salt-based system.
3Reliability
If micron/nano metal particles are prepared and purified beforehand, then the ink can achieve good performance, but the process involves cumbersome operation and high cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-synthesizing and storing micron/nano metal particles before ink preparation. The particles are prepared in advance through physical or chemical methods, purified, dried, and stored for later use. This separates the particle synthesis step from the ink formulation step, making the actual ink preparation faster and more efficient while maintaining particle quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the complex particle synthesis and purification steps as a separate preliminary process, removing them from the routine ink formulation procedure. By extracting these steps and performing them once to create stock particles, the ongoing ink production becomes simpler and more straightforward, involving only mixing particles with solvent and additives.
4Reliability
If conventional preparation processes are used, then the ink can be formulated properly, but large time consumption occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-synthesizing and storing micron/nano metal particles before ink preparation. The particles are prepared in advance through physical or chemical methods, purified, dried, and stored for later use. This separates the particle synthesis step from the ink formulation step, making the actual ink preparation faster and more efficient while maintaining particle quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables continuity of useful action by maintaining stock solutions of micron/nano metal particles and metal salt solutions that can be quickly mixed and deployed for ink formulation. This eliminates repeated preparation cycles and allows continuous production, reducing overall time consumption while maintaining consistent ink quality through standardized formulations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method significantly reduces preparation time, avoids environmental pollution, and achieves superior electrical conductivity and adhesion in printed electronic elements, while maintaining cost-effectiveness and scalability.
Implementation Method 1
mixing a ground precursor with a first solvent to prepare the in-situ thermally activated ionic ink, wherein the first solvent is a reductive solvent that does not react with the precursor at room temperature
Implementation Method 2
the prepared in-situ thermally activated ionic ink can be directly coated on a substrate surface and sintered, thereby achieving the integrated generation and sintering of the micron/nano metal particles
Data Source
AI summary
A preparation method of a green in-situ thermally activated ionic ink, in which a precursor is ground, where the precursor is not a metallic elementary substance, and is a copper-containing precursor, a silver-containing precursor, a nickel-containing precursor, a cobalt-containing precursor and/or a gold-containing precursor; the ground precursor is mixed with a first solvent to prepare the in-situ thermally activated ionic ink, where the first solvent is a reductive solvent that does not react with the precursor at room temperature.