Abstract
Copper nanoparticles were synthesized using lithium ions to increase the aqueous electrical conductivity of the solution and precisely control the size, shape, and size distribution of the particles. In this study, the conventional approach of increasing particle size by the concentration of copper ions and PGPPE in a copper chloride solution was compared to increasing the concentration of lithium chloride when the copper chloride concentration was held constant. Particle size and shape were characterized by TEM, and the size distribution of the particles at different concentrations was obtained by particle size analysis. Increasing the concentration of copper ion in the solution greatly increased the aqueous electric conductivity and the size of the particles but led to a wide size distribution ranging from 150 nm to 400 nm and rough particle morphology. The addition of lithium ions increased the size of the particles, but maintains them in a range of 250 nm. In addition the particles exhibited spherical shape as determined by TEM. The addition of lithium ions to the solution has the potential to synthesize nanoparticles with optimal characteristics for printing applications by maintaining a narrow size range and spherical shape.
Highlights
There have been numerous studies regarding the manufacturing of nanosized metal particles on nanoink applications [1,2,3,4]
Surfactants offer the advantage of acting as emulsifiers and aid in the printing process, but the particle size does not increase significantly since the coalitions between copper particles were restricted by steric forces
This study showed the effect of lithium ions on the synthesis of copper particles, where high concentrations of copper ion produced rough particle shapes
Summary
There have been numerous studies regarding the manufacturing of nanosized metal particles on nanoink applications [1,2,3,4]. Several methods have successfully synthesized copper nanoparticles for printing applications, but all of these methods synthesize the particles within small ranges. Studies, the research team demonstrated that the aqueous electrical conductivity can be altered by the reducing agent and the concentration of metal ions in the solution, which can influence the size of the nanoparticles [3]. Surfactants may be used to increase and/or decrease the aqueous electric conductivity and control the colloidal dispersion of the particles in solution and shape. Lithium ions were selected to increase the aqueous conductivity and control the size of copper nanoparticles because they are not reduced and can be widely distributed between particles due to their small size. PSA and TEM were used to analyze the particle size distribution after the addition of copper and lithium ions
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