Liquid metal fusion with conductive inks and pastes
AssigneesCarnegie Mellon University, Universidade De Coimbra
InventorsMahmoud TAVAKOLI, Hugo PAISANA, Anibal T. DE ALMEIDA, Carmel MAJIDI
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Abstract
Coating inkjet-printed traces of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) ink with a thin layer of eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) increases the electrical conductivity and significantly improves tolerance to tensile strain. This enhancement is achieved through a room temperature “sintering” process in which the liquid-phase EGaIn alloy binds the AgNP particles to form a continuous conductive trace. These mechanically robust thin-film circuits are well suited for transfer to highly curved and non-developable 3D surfaces as well as skin and other soft deformable substrates.
Claims20
A method for producing conductive electrical traces comprising:
- printing an electrical circuit comprising one or more electrical traces on a substrate using a conductive ink;
- and
- coating the one or more electrical traces with a liquid metal,
- wherein the liquid metal is one of gallium, an alloy of gallium and indium, and an alloy of gallium, indium and tin.
A printable substance for producing electrically conductive patterns, comprising:
- metal particles suspended in a carrier medium;
- and
- liquid metal mixed into the carrier medium, wherein the liquid metal is an alloy of gallium and indium
- wherein the mixture is at least 0.1% weight percent of liquid metal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.