Air-stable, surface-oxide free Cu nanoparticles for highly conductive Cu ink and their application to printed graphene transistors

Sunho Jeong; Su Hyeon Lee; Yejin Jo; Sun Sook Lee; Yeong-Hui Seo; Byeong Wan Ahn; Gyeomuk Kim; Gun-Eik Jang; Jang-Ung Park; Beyong-Hwan Ryu; Youngmin Choi

doi:10.1039/C3TC00904A

Air-stable, surface-oxide free Cu nanoparticles for highly conductive Cu ink and their application to printed graphene transistors†

Sunho Jeong,*^a Su Hyeon Lee,^ab Yejin Jo,^a Sun Sook Lee,^a Yeong-Hui Seo,^a Byeong Wan Ahn,^c Gyeomuk Kim,^c Gun-Eik Jang,^b Jang-Ung Park,*^c Beyong-Hwan Ryu^a and Youngmin Choi*^a

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* Corresponding authors

^a Advanced Materials Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Daejeon 305-600, Korea
E-mail: sjeong@krict.re.kr, youngmin@krict.re.kr
Fax: +82-42-861-4151
Tel: +82-42-860-7362

^b Advanced Materials Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, Korea

^c School of Nano-Bioscience and Chemical Engineering, School of Mechanical and Advanced Materials Engineering, Low-Dimensional Carbon Materials Center, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 689-798, Korea
E-mail: jangung@unist.ac.kr
Tel: +82-52-217-2533

Abstract

Air-stable, surface-oxide free Cu nanoparticles are, for the first time, synthesized by surrounding completely the Cu surface with oleic acid incorporated as a capping molecule. XPS analysis, in conjunction with TEM analysis, revealed that the oleic acid is chemisorbed to the Cu surface via a chemical interaction wherein a monodentate bond is included, without leaving behind free (non-interacting) oleic acid, thereby providing complete surface protection against oxidation. By eliminating the surface oxide layer that critically degrades the electrical properties, the surface-oxide free Cu nanoparticle ink facilitates the realization of a solution-processed Cu electrode layer with resistivity as low as 4 μΩ cm, comparable to the resistivity of noble metal-based, solution-processed counterparts. In addition, high resolution Cu electrode patterns with 5 μm line-width are directly printed using an electrohydrodynamic inkjet technique, and graphene transistors with the printed Cu electrodes demonstrate potential applications in printed electronics.

Journal of Materials Chemistry C

Air-stable, surface-oxide free Cu nanoparticles for highly conductive Cu ink and their application to printed graphene transistors†

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Air-stable, surface-oxide free Cu nanoparticles for highly conductive Cu ink and their application to printed graphene transistors

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