Inkjet printing of silver conductive ink on textiles for wearable electronic applications

In this study, silver nanoparticles were synthesized with a starch-based reduction biosystem at room temperature. With this approach, high concentration silver nanoparticles were produced on a large scale with a low starch/AgNO3 mass ratio, which was very advantageous for the low cost and high conductivity. The silver nanoparticles were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Thermogravimetric (TGA). X-ray diffraction patterns suggest that the silver nanoparticles had a face-centred cubic (fcc) structure with an average size of 32.29 nm. Conductive inks were prepared from the synthesized silver nanoparticles by dispersion of the nanoparticles in a non-conductive commercial ink. Various patterns have been developed by printing silver nanoparticles with different percentages from 0.5% to 2.5% on a cotton substrate using a syringe. The surface morphologies and electrical properties of cotton were analyzed. The printed patterns show a resistivity drop depending on the nanoparticle concentration in the range of 0.1 M Omega/cm and 0.04 M Omega/cm by heat treatment at 150 degrees C for 10 min. Copyright (C) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.