Oxygen Plasma-Induced Conversion of Silver Complex Ink into Conductive Coatings

The use of AgNO3-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) ink and oxygen plasma to form conductive coatings on plastic substrates was studied. It was found that oxygen plasma can decompose silver complexes to form metallic silver without high-temperature heating. The AgNO3-PVA ratio and plasma parameters (time, power) were optimized to obtain uniform conductive coatings. The morphology and electrical characteristics of the coatings were evaluated. Composite coatings with high reflectivity and good adhesion were prepared with a resistivity of 1.66 × 10−6 Ω·m using MOD inks with a silver ion mass fraction of 5%, after 300 W plasma treatment of the PET substrate for 2 min (the chamber temperature was 37.3 °C). These results demonstrate the potential feasibility of silver MOD inks and oxygen plasma treatment for the production of silver connectors, electromagnetic shielding films, and antimicrobial coatings on low-cost plastic substrates.