Patent ID: 11873409

Abstract:
A molecular ink contains a silver carboxylate, an organic amine compound, an organic polymer binder, a surface tension modifier, and a solvent. The ink may be used to produce conductive silver traces on a substrate for use in fabricating electronic devices. The ink is particularly useful for producing conductive silver traces on a shapeable (e.g. stretchable) substrate in a low temperature sintering process. Also, a process for producing a conductive silver trace on a shaped substrate involves depositing the molecular ink on a shapeable substrate, drying the ink on the shapeable substrate to form a non-conductive trace containing the silver carboxylate on the shapeable substrate, forming the shapeable substrate into a shape to produce a shaped substrate so that at least a portion of the non-conductive trace is situated on a shaped portion of the shaped substrate, and sintering the shaped substrate to decompose the silver carboxylate to metallic silver thereby producing a conductive silver trace on at least the shaped portion of the shaped substrate. The process reduces potential for cracking of conductive silver traces on shaped substrates.