The effect of NaOH on room-temperature sintering of Ag nanoparticles for high-performance flexible electronic application

A composite silver nanoparticle (AgNP) ink was prepared by mixing the small AgNPs (10 nm in diameter), large AgNPs (50 nm in diameter), ethylene glycol, and deionized water at a mass ratio of 4:2:3:51. By spraying a sodium hydroxide solution, the AgNP pattern printed on the polyethylene terephthalate film surface can be sintered at room temperature with a minimum electric resistivity of 12.11 μΩ·cm, 0.7 times smaller than that sintered at 150 °C. Our study confirmed that OH⁻ ions can partially replace citrates on AgNP surfaces at room temperature, resulting in the loss of the encapsulated density of citrates. Such loss can induce the particle agglomeration, cause the sintering necks to form, and finally create the three-dimensional conductive networks. This research is of great importance to the rapid manufacturing of low-cost, low-environmental-impact and high-performance flexible printed circuits.