Large-scale synthesis of copper nanoparticles by chemically controlled reduction for applications of inkjet-printed electronics

Copper nanoparticles are being given considerable attention as of late due to their interesting properties and potential applications in many areas of industry. One such exploitable use is as the major constituent of conductive inks and pastes used for printing various electronic components. In this study, copper nanoparticles were synthesized through a relatively large-scale (5 l), high-throughput (0.2 M) process. This facile method occurs through the chemical reduction of copper sulfate with sodium hypophosphite in ethylene glycol within the presence of a polymer surfactant (PVP), which was included to prevent aggregation and give dispersion stability to the resulting colloidal nanoparticles. Reaction yields were determined to be quantitative while particle dispersion yields were between 68 and 73%. The size of the copper nanoparticles could be controlled between 30 and 65 nm by varying the reaction time, reaction temperature, and relative ratio of copper sulfate to the surfactant. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of the particles revealed a spherical shape within the reported size regime, and x-ray analysis confirmed the formation of face-centered cubic (FCC) metallic copper. Furthermore, inkjet printing nanocopper inks prepared from the polymer-stabilized copper nanoparticles onto polyimide substrates resulted in metallic copper traces with low electrical resistivities (≥3.6 µΩ cm, or ≥2.2 times the resistivity of bulk copper) after a relatively low-temperature sintering process (200 °C for up to 60 min).