Synthesis and characterization of highly conductive Sn-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles for printed electronics

Abstract

To synthesize low-cost, highly conductive metal nanoparticles for inkjet printing materials, we synthesized Sn-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles using a polyol process with poly(vinyl pyrrolidone). Because a surface oxidation layer forms on Sn nanoparticles, various compositions of Sn-xAg [x = 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 (wt%)] nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized for the purpose of removing the beta-Sn phase. The results of XPS, TEM, and XRD analyses confirm that the formation of a bimetallic phase, such as Ag4Sn or Ag3Sn, hinders the beta-Sn phase and, consequently, leads to the removal of the surface oxidation layer. To measure the sheet resistance of various compositions of Sn-Ag nanoparticles, we made the ink that contains Sn-Ag by dispersing 10 wt% of Sn-Ag nanoparticles in methanol. The sheet resistance is decreased by the conductive Sn-Ag phases, such as the fcc, Ag4Sn, and Ag3Sn phases, but sharply increased by the low-conductive Sn nanoparticles and the surface oxidation layer on the Sn nanoparticles. The sheet resistance results confirm that 80Ag20Sn and 60Ag40Sn bimetallic nanoparticles are suitable candidates for inkjet printing materials.