Advancements in silver conductive inks: comparative evaluation of conventional and in-situ synthesis techniques

Printable silver inks are increasingly used in various electronic devices due to their versatility and applicability. However, silver nanoparticle-based conductive inks can cause blockage of inkjet printer nozzles due to aggregation and settlement. In the present study, the properties of printed silver conductive inks (AgNPs) produced by a conventional method and in-situ method are compared. The effect of the number of printing layers and morphology of printed tracks fabricated by both methods was investigated. The results of energy-dispersive X-ray and X-ray diffraction analyses showed that the conventional method produced high-purity AgNPs compared to the in-situ synthesis method. Likewise, the conventional synthesis method exhibited 85% higher electrical conductivity than the in-situ synthesis method at 1 printing layer. However, comparable electrical conductivity was observed for 8 printed layers for both methods. In short, the in-situ method has the potential to produce conductive AgNPs patterns, although a high number of printed layers are required to increase the conductive path. This method may solve the issues of particle agglomeration and sedimentation, which can block the nozzle during the printing process.