Structural Assessment of Silver Conductive Ink using Nanoindentation

Zuraihana Bachok; Abdullah Aziz Saad; Sana  Zulfiqar; Aizat Abas; Mohamad Danial  Shafiq; Muhammad Fadhirul Izwan Abdul Malik

doi:10.59796/jcst.V14N2.2024.37

Authors

Zuraihana Bachok School of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Abdullah Aziz Saad School of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3791-6368
Sana Zulfiqar School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science & Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
Aizat Abas School of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Mohamad Danial Shafiq School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300, Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5591-6265
Muhammad Fadhirul Izwan Abdul Malik Science & Engineering Reseach Center (SERC), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300, Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59796/jcst.V14N2.2024.37

Keywords:

nanoindentation, silver conductive ink, structural assessment

Abstract

Stretchable conductive inks have emerged as a key enabling technology for the development of flexible and wearable electronic devices. Silver nanoparticles are commonly incorporated into these inks to impart electrical conductivity while maintaining stretchability. However, the amount of silver in the ink formulation can significantly influence the structural integrity and mechanical performance of printed conductive inks. This study investigates the impact of different silver contents on the structural assessment of stretchable conductive ink. Three samples of conductive inks, each with a different silver concentration (40%, 60%, and 80%) were produced by combining a PDMS-OH binder, organic solvent, cross-linking agent, catalyst, viscosity controller, additives, and silver nanoparticles. The ink samples with varying silver concentrations are characterized using nanoindentation and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The electrical conductivity of the silver conductive ink was measured with a digital multimeter. Among the three samples, the optimal silver concentration for conductive ink formulation is 60%, which exhibits a hardness of 2.04 MPa and an elastic modulus of 32.9 MPa to balance mechanical elasticity with an electrical conductivity of 1.389x10⁴ S/m. Increasing silver content reduces the ink's flexibility, making it more brittle and less stretchable, but it also boosts its conductivity. The findings provide valuable insights into optimizing the silver content in stretchable conductive inks for achieving robust structural integrity and reliable performance in flexible and stretchable electronics.

References

Bachok, Z., Saad, A., Abas, M., Ali, M., & Fakpan, K. (2022). Structural analysis on nanocomposites lead free solder using nanoindentation. Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 16(2), 15–28. https://jamt.utem.edu.my/jamt/article/view/6383

Ding, J., Liu, J., Tian, Q., Wu, Z., Yao, W., Dai, Z., Liu, L., & Wu, W. (2016). Preparing of Highly Conductive Patterns on Flexible Substrates by Screen Printing of Silver Nanoparticles with Different Size Distribution. Nanoscale Research Letters, 11(1), Article 412. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-016-1640-1

Fernandes, I. J., Aroche, A. F., Schuck, A., Lamberty, P., Peter, C. R., Hasenkamp, W., & Rocha, T. L. A. C. (2020). Silver nanoparticle conductive inks: synthesis, characterization, and fabrication of inkjet-printed flexible electrodes. Scientific Reports, 10(1), Article 8878. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-65698-3

Gonçalves, S., Serrado-Nunes, J., Oliveira, J., Pereira, N., Hilliou, L., Costa, C. M., & Lanceros-Méndez, S. (2019). Environmentally Friendly Printable Piezoelectric Inks and Their Application in the Development of All-Printed Touch Screens. ACS Applied Electronic Materials, 1(8), 1678–1687. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaelm.9b00363

Ibrahim, N., Akindoyo, J. O., & Mariatti, M. (2022). Recent development in silver-based ink for flexible electronics. Journal of Science: Advanced Materials and Devices, 7(1), Article 100395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsamd.2021.09.002

Kamyshny, A., & Magdassi, S. (2014). Conductive Nanomaterials for Printed Electronics. Small, 10(17), 3515–3535. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201303000

Kim, E., Lim, D. Y., Kang, Y., & Yoo, E. (2016). Fabrication of a stretchable electromagnetic interference shielding silver nanoparticle/elastomeric polymer composite. RSC Advances, 6(57), 52250–52254. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6ra04765c

Kim, J.-H., & Park, J.-W. (2021). Intrinsically stretchable organic light-emitting diodes. Science Advances, 7(9), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abd9715

Kim, K., Kim, B., & Lee, C. H. (2020). Printing Flexible and Hybrid Electronics for Human Skin and Eye-Interfaced Health Monitoring Systems. Advanced Materials, 32(15), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201902051

Krutyakov, Y. A., Kudrinskiy, A. A., Olenin, A. Y., & Lisichkin, G. V. (2008). Synthesis and properties of silver nanoparticles: advances and prospects. Russian Chemical Reviews, 77(3), 233–257. https://doi.org/10.1070/RC2008v077n03ABEH003751

Larmagnac, A., Eggenberger, S., Janossy, H., & Vörös, J. (2014). Stretchable electronics based on Ag-PDMS composites. Scientific Reports, 4(1), Article 7254. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep07254

Liu, P., He, W. Q., & Lu, A. X. (2019). Preparation of low-temperature sintered high conductivity inks based on nanosilver self-assembled on surface of graphene. Journal of Central South University, 26(11), 2953–2960. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-019-4227-z

Ma, L.-Y., & Soin, N. (2022). Recent Progress in Printed Physical Sensing Electronics for Wearable Health-Monitoring Devices: A Review. IEEE Sensors Journal, 22(5), 3844–3859. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2022.3142328

Mo, L., Guo, Z., Wang, Z., Yang, L., Fang, Y., Xin, Z., ... & Li, L. (2019). Nano-Silver Ink of High Conductivity and Low Sintering Temperature for Paper Electronics. Nanoscale Research Letters, 14, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-019-3011-1

Oliveira, A. E. F., Pereira, A. C., de Resende, M. A. C., & Ferreira, L. F. (2022). Synthesis of a silver nanoparticle ink for fabrication of reference electrodes. Talanta Open, 5, Article 100085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talo.2022.100085

Oliver, W. C., & Pharr, G. M. (2004). Measurement of hardness and elastic modulus by instrumented indentation: Advances in understanding and refinements to methodology. Journal of Materials Research, 19(1), 3–20. https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2004.19.1.3

Phae-ngam, W., Kamoldilok, S., Rattana, T., Lertvanithphol, T., Mungchamnankit, A. (2023). Preparation and characterization of low-emissivity AlN/Ag/AlN films by Magnetron co-sputtering method. Journal of Current Science and Technology, 13(3), 533-541. https://doi.org/10.59796/jcst.V13N3.2023.498

Sureshkumar, M., Na, H. Y., Ahn, K. H., & Lee, S. J. (2015). Conductive nanocomposites based on polystyrene microspheres and silver nanowires by latex blending. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 7(1), 756–764. https://doi.org/10.1021/am5071392

Vuorinen, T., Zakrzewski, M., Rajala, S., Lupo, D., Vanhala, J., Palovuori, K., & Tuukkanen, S. (2014). Printable, transparent, and flexible touch panels working in sunlight and moist environments. Advanced Functional Materials, 24(40), 6340–6347. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201401140

Wang, D. Y., Chang, Y., Wang, Y. X., Zhang, Q., & Yang, Z. G. (2016). Green water-based silver nanoplate conductive ink for flexible printed circuit. Materials Technology, 31(1), 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1179/1753555715Y.0000000023

Xu, W., Xu, Q., Huang, Q., Tan, R., Shen, W., & Song, W. (2015). Electrically conductive silver nanowires-filled methylcellulose composite transparent films with high mechanical properties. Materials Letters, 152, 173–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2015.03.111

Zulfiqar, S., Saad, A. A., Ahmad, Z., & Bachok, Z. (2023). Mechanical Analysis and Constitutive Modeling of Nonlinear Behavior of Silver-based Conductive Ink. International Journal of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, 20(3), 10635–10648. https://doi.org/10.15282/ijame.20.3.2023.07.0821