Insight into the Types of Alkanolamines on the Properties of Copper(II) Formate-Based Conductive Ink

Conductive inks are one of the most important functional materials for printed flexible electronic devices, and their properties determine the methods of subsequent patterning and metallization. In comparison with copper nanoparticle or nanowire inks, copper particle-free inks employing copper(II) formate (Cuf) as a precursor have attracted the interest of researchers due to their flexibility in preparation, excellent stability, and lower conversion temperature. Alkanolamines can provide Cuf with excellent solubility in alcohols while being less toxic and having a certain reducibility, making them preferable ligands in comparison with aliphatic amines and pyridine. However, there have been few studies on the effects of the alkanolamine types on the performance of Cuf inks. Also, the decomposition mechanism of copper–alkanolamine complex inks is not clear. In this work, different kinds of alkanolamines were chosen as ligands to formulate Cuf inks to address the mentioned issues. The influences of amine types on the stability, wettability, thermal decomposition behavior, and electrical performance of the formulated Cuf particle-free inks were investigated in detail. The results show that the utilization of alkanolamines could provide Cuf with excellent solubility in alcohols, resulting in an ink with good stability and favorable wetting properties. The thermal decomposition temperature and electrical performance of the formulated copper ink are largely dependent on the amine used. When amines with a longer carbon chain and more branches were utilized to prepare the ink, a decreased decomposition temperature was observed on the derived inks because of the steric hindrance effect. Copper films with good morphology and conductivity could be obtained at low temperatures by selecting the appropriate alkanolamine. Copper particle-free conductive ink from 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol demonstrated better morphology and electrical performance (16.09 μΩ·cm) and was successfully used for conductive circuits by direct-writing.