Room temperature preparation of conductive silver features using spin-coating and inkjet printing

Inkjet printing and spin-coating have been used to prepare patterns using a silver-containing metallo-organic decomposition ink. The patterned ink was reduced to silver by exposure to UV light and subsequent treatment with hydroquinone solution. This process, which took less than a minute, was performed at room temperature, which allowed low glass transition temperature polymeric substrates, such as PET, to be used. The conductivity of the silver patterns was found to be 10% that of bulk silver. The mechanical stability was also measured, with a linear increase in resistance seen for increasing strain, and no significant change in resistance seen after 12 000 cyclic deformations.