R2R Electrical Sintering of Nanoparticle Structures

A method for sintering nanoparticles in the roll-to-roll environment is presented. The method of electrical sintering is first demonstrated by applying a constant voltage between two electrodes in contact with a printed silver nanoparticle track. The electrical sintering method is extended to enable sintering between a roll at an alternating electric potential and a ground plate. An analytical study of the electrical properties of metal nanoparticle inks gives an upper limit for the sintering frequency, approximately 1 GHz, above which power is no longer effectively dissipated in the material. These results are shown to agree well with experimental measurements. A first demonstration of patterning by roll-to-roll electrical sintering using a simple laboratory setup is presented. Using a desktop gravure test printer as a roll-to-roll sintering stage is discussed.