Isotropical conductive adhesives with very-long silver nanowires as conductive fillers

Isotropical conductive adhesives (ICAs) have garnered great attention from the researchers in electronic industry as a potential substitute to lead-bearing solders for novel microsystem. In this paper, silver nanowires with a diameter of approximately 390 nm and a length of over 100 μm were synthesized by a polyol process. The ICAs composed of an epoxy-based binder containing silver nanowire were prepared and the curing behaviors, electrical properties, hygroscopicity, and the tensile shear strength of ICAs were investigated. Silver nanowires affect the curing behavior of epoxy resin and reduce the cross-linking density. The resistivity of the ICAs filled with 10, 35 and 45 wt% silver nanowire cured at 150 °C is 8.9 × 10⁻³, 1.69 × 10⁻⁵ and 4.9 × 10⁻⁶ Ω cm respectively. The resistivity of the ICAs filled with silver nanowire cured at 150 °C is little change after aged under 85 °C/85 % for 264 h. With the increase of the loading of silver nanowire the tensile shear strength of the ICAs increase. The reasons for the effects of silver nanowires on the curing behavior and the electrical property and hygroscopicity and the tensile shear strength were discussed in terms of the morphology, distribution, and higher activity of silver nanowires.