Conductive inks from recycled metals
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | NanoScientifica Scandinavia AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 300 000 |
| Project duration | May 2021 - February 2022 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Innovative Startups |
| Call | Innovative Startups step 1 spring 2021 |
Important results from the project
The purpose of of the project was to verify the function and performance of oxidative resistant Ag nanowires and sub-10 nm Ag nanoparticels, from recycled Ag source, for conductive inks and verify the customer benefits. The project was succesfull in verifying the function and performance of oxidative resistant Ag nanowires and sub-10 nm Ag nanoparticles for conductive inks as well as in verifying the customer benefits. However, the recycled silver, was not pure enough to provide a highly concentrated and stable initial solution and a high yield of nanowires.
Expected long term effects
The problems that arose due to contaminants in the recycled metal are expected to be solved by identifying new suppliers and products with a higher degree of purity. The project succeeded in verifying a scalable, continuous production process that increased the production capacity by a factor of 30. The integration of a module to create a thin layer of oxidation-resistant AuAg shell was also successful. The aggregation and dispersion of AgAu nanowires were found to have a major impact on the final ink preparation, and we plan to investigate solutions for this in phase 2.
Approach and implementation
The implementation of the project has followed the planned structure according to the application, with four work packages over five months: Upscale synthesis of Ag particles from recycled sources; Continuous coating of oxidative-resistant AuAg sheath on Ag NWs; Ink formulations and stability on oxidative environments; interaction with the potential customers. All work packages have given successful results with the exception of the use of recycled silver, which had too much contamination to be useful.