Silver conductive features on flexible substrates from a thermally accelerated chain reaction at low sintering temperatures.

In this study, a simple and effective silver ink formulation was developed to generate silver tracks with high electrical conductivity on flexible substrates at low sintering temperatures. Diethanolamine (DEA), a self-oxidizing compound at moderate temperatures, was mixed with a silver ammonia solution to form a clear and stable solution. After inkjet-printed or pen-written on plastic sheets, DEA in the silver ink decomposes at temperatures higher than 50 °C and generates formaldehyde, which reacts spontaneously with silver ammonia ions to form silver thin films. The electrical conductivity of the inkjet-printed silver films can be 26% of the bulk silver after heating at 75 °C for 20 min and show great adhesion on plastic sheets.