# US 2023/0056933 A1 · Copper nanoparticles suspended in tin

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2023/0056933 A1
- Document ID: US20230056933A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/892,518
- Filed: 2022-08-22
- Published: 2023-02-23
- Earliest claimed: 2021-03-09
- Assignees: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
- Applicants: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
- Inventors: Harrison E. Holmes
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230056933A1

## CPC

- B22F 3/20: by extruding
- B22F 1/054: Nanosized particles
- B22F 1/145: Chemical treatment, e.g. passivation or decarburisation
- B22F 5/12: of wires {(of tubes B22F5/10)}
- B23K 35/302: {Cu as the principal constituent}
- B33Y 70/00: Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
- C09D 11/037: characterised by the pigment
- C09D 11/52: Electrically conductive inks
- C22C 9/02: with tin as the next major constituent
- H05K 1/09: Use of materials for the {conductive, e.g. } metallic pattern
- B22F 1/147: {Making a dispersion}
- B22F 10/18: by mixing binder with metal in filament form, e.g. fused filament fabrication [FFF]
- B22F 2301/10: Copper
- B22F 2301/30: Low melting point metals, i.e. Zn, Pb, Sn, Cd, In, Ga
- B82Y 40/00: Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
- H05K 3/101: {by casting or moulding of conductive material}
- H05K 2203/128: Molten metals, e.g. casting thereof, or melting by heating and excluding molten solder
- B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
- B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- C09D: COATING COMPOSITIONS, e.g. PAINTS, VARNISHES OR LACQUERS; FILLING PASTES; CHEMICAL PAINT OR INK REMOVERS; INKS; CORRECTING FLUIDS; WOODSTAINS; PASTES OR SOLIDS FOR COLOURING OR PRINTING; USE OF MATERIALS THEREFOR (cosmetics A61K; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces, in general, B05D; staining wood B27K5/02; glazes or vitreous enamels C03C; natural resins, French polish, drying-oils, driers, turpentine, per se, C09F; polishing compositions other than French polish, ski waxes C09G; adhesives or use of materials as adhesives C09J; materials for sealing or packing joints or covers C09K3/10; materials for stopping leaks C09K3/12; processes for the electrolytic or electrophoretic production of coatings C25D)
- C22C: ALLOYS (treatment of alloys C21D, C22F)
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES

## Abstract

Disclosed is a conductive ink composition and a manufacturing method thereof. The composition includes about 50 to about 99 wt % copper nanoparticles and about 1 to about 50 wt % tin. Copper nanoparticles are atomized and suspended in a tin bath, wherein the copper nanoparticles are evenly dispersed within the bath through sonification. The composition is cooled, extracted, and formed into a filament for use as a conductive ink. The ink has a resistivity of about 46.2×E-9 Ω*m to about 742.5×E-9 Ω*m. Once in filament form, the tin-copper mix will be viable for material extrusion, thus allowing for a lower cost, electrically conductive traces to be used in additive manufacturing.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of manufacturing atomized copper nanoparticles suspended in white tin comprising: adding white tin to a funnel;
heating said funnel to melt said white tin;
adding copper nanoparticles to said funnel;
initiating ultrasound pulses;
creating a heat gradient; and
extracting a composition comprising copper nanoparticles suspended in tin.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said composition is extruded into a filament.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the wt % of said atomized copper nanoparticles and said white tin is selected to produce a conductive ink composition having a resistivity of about 46.2×E-9 Ω*m to about 742.5×E-9 Ω*m;
wherein said resistivity is calculated using a combination of the Matthiessen Rule and Nordheim Rule ρ=ρmatrix+CX(1−X).

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein, wherein the content of said atomized copper nanoparticles is about 99 wt % and the content of said white tin is about 1 wt %; and
wherein said conductive ink composition has a resistivity of about 46.2×E-9 Ω*m.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the content of said atomized copper nanoparticles is about 85 wt % and the content of said white tin is about 15 wt %; and
wherein said conductive ink composition has a resistivity of about 387.3×E-9 Ω*m.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the content of said atomized copper nanoparticles is about 50 wt % and the content of said white tin is about 50 wt %; and
wherein said conductive ink composition has a resistivity of about 742.5×E-9 Ω*m.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the content of said atomized copper nanoparticles is about 75 wt % and the content of said white tin is about 25 wt %; and
wherein said conductive ink composition has a resistivity of about 561.3×E-9 Ω*m.