Conductive patterns on plastic substrates by sequential inkjet printing of silver nanoparticles and electrolyte sintering solutions

A rapid and simple process for obtaining conductive patterns on plastic substrates by inkjet printing of silver nanoparticles is described. The process is based on causing sintering of the silver nanoparticles at low temperature by localized contact with solutions of electrolyte such as NaCl and MgCl ₂. The contact between the silver particles and the sintering agent is achieved by sequential printing of the two components. High conductivity, above 30% of bulk silver, is achieved by proper control of the type and concentration of the electrolyte and the number of layers of nanoparticles and sintering agent.