The Influence of Ink Chemistry on the Microstructure Evolution and GHz RF Response of Printed Ag Transmission Lines.
| Title: | The Influence of Ink Chemistry on the Microstructure Evolution and GHz RF Response of Printed Ag Transmission Lines. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Summers JM; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76207, USA.; Sakri S; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76207, USA.; Chakma N; Department of Electrical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76207, USA.; Luyen H; Department of Electrical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76207, USA.; Bujanda A; DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, MD 21005, USA.; Parker T; DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, MD 21005, USA.; Tsang H; DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, MD 21005, USA.; Shepherd ND; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76207, USA. |
| Source: | Materials (Basel, Switzerland) [Materials (Basel)] 2024 Apr 11; Vol. 17 (8). Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Apr 11. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: MDPI Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101555929 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 1996-1944 (Print) Linking ISSN: 19961944 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Materials (Basel) Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: May 2010- : Basel, Switzerland : MDPI; Original Publication: Basel, Switzerland : Molecular Diversity Preservation International, 2008-2010. |
| Abstract: | High-frequency transmission is limited to the skin depth in metals. Because poor conductivity cannot be compensated for by increasing the conductor thickness as with DC, optimal transport properties are prerequisites for radio frequency (RF) use. Structural and chemical analyses of transmission lines printed using a traditional ink consisting of Ag nanoflakes in a dispersing phase revealed that optimized thermal treatments yielded thorough burnout of the binder, significant grain growth, elimination of the pore volume, and electrical responses that were comparable to values obtained for thermally evaporated, fully dense Ag controls. Specifically, a low DC resistivity of 2.3 μΩ·cm (1.4× bulk Ag) and RF transmission coefficients of 0.87 and 0.75 at 5 GHz and 10 GHz, respectively, were measured in the nanoflake Ag prints. Conversely, in transmission lines printed from a metal-organic decomposition ink, residual chemical contamination impeded diffusion and densification, yielding greater porosity, small grains that are pinned, and a degraded RF response. Reasonably good porosity approximations were obtained from a model based on percolation theory. The results indicate that contaminants at interfaces and pore surfaces impede diffusion, pore elimination, and full densification, and further, alter carrier dynamics and degrade RF response. |
| References: | J Am Chem Soc. 2012 Jan 25;134(3):1419-21. (PMID: 22220580); Opt Express. 2012 Jul 2;20(14):15263-74. (PMID: 22772224); Nanoscale. 2019 Aug 1;11(30):14294-14302. (PMID: 31318368); Chem Commun (Camb). 2022 Aug 23;58(68):9484-9487. (PMID: 35920257) |
| Grant Information: | N00014-24-1-2010 Office of Naval Research; AMTC-20-01-106 DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: 3D printing; RF response; additive manufacturing; direct ink writing; direct write; ink chemistry; microstructure evolution; transmission line |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20240427 Latest Revision: 20240429 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC11051384 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/ma17081756 |
| PMID: | 38673113 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article