Rapid synthesis of size-tunable micron silver flakes with high aspect ratio: application to conductive paste with low silver content
摘要
Ag powders are an essential component for conductive pastes (CPs) due to their exceptional thermal and electrical conductivity. Particularly, Ag flaky powders (Ag FPs) effectively reduce the contact resistance in CPs. In this study, a facile chemical reduction method for synthesizing Ag FPs is reported. FeSO4 and Fe2(SO4)3 are used as the reductant and reduction hinderer, respectively. When Fe2(SO4)3 is added to the Ag precursor and the Fe3⁺/Fe2⁺ molar ratio is controlled at 0.06–0.07, Ag FPs with an aspect ratio > 100 and a tap density < 0.5 g⋅cm‒3 were successfully synthesized. Compared with other methods for synthesizing Ag FPs, the process is characterized by its rapidity, low energy consumption, and controllable Ag FPs size. After heat treatment, the Ag FPs show enhanced conductivity in CPs with low Ag content. Using the as-synthesized Ag FPs as the conductive phase to prepare CPs, conductive thick film with a resistivity of 3.91×10−3Ω⋅cm is prepared at an Ag content of 40%, indicating the potential to markedly reduce the Ag content in CPs.