Self-sintering conductive inks can be printed and self-sintered with a simple and low-cost process mechanized by exothermic alkali metal and water reaction, with enhanced electrical and thermal performance by liquid metal fusion. Such self-sintering conductive inks may include a gallium-alkali metal component and a water absorbing gel component. After patterning, the self-sintering inks, on reaching a designed trigger temperature (including room temperature), may metallize through a two-step process. Initially the gallium-alkali metal component activates and reacts with water released from the water absorbing gel component. Then the exothermic reaction between the water and the alkali element creates an intense and highly localized heating effect, which liquefies all metallic components in the ink and, on cooling, creates a solid metal trace or interconnect. Post cooling, the metal trace or interconnect cannot be reflowed without a significant temperature increase or other energetic input.

A wireless sensor platform and methods of manufacture are provided. The platform involves providing a plurality of wireless sensors, where each of the sensors is fabricated on flexible substrates using printing techniques and low temperature curing. Each of the sensors can include planar sensor elements and planar antennas defined using the printing and curing. Further, each of the sensors can include a communications system configured to encode the data from the sensors into a spread spectrum code sequence that is transmitted to a central computer(s) for use in monitoring an area associated with the sensors.

A method for producing a conductive liquid electrophotographic ink composition is described, the method comprising: heating a polymer resin in a carrier fluid to dissolve the polymer resin; adding conductive metallic pigment particles to be coated to the carrier fluid; cooling the carrier fluid to effect precipitation of the polymer resin from the carrier fluid such that a coating of the resin is at least partially formed on the conductive metallic pigment particles; reheating the suspension of partially coated conductive metallic pigment particles in the carrier fluid; and cooling the carrier fluid at a controlled rate to effect precipitation of the polymer resin from the carrier fluid such that a coating of the resin is formed on the conductive metallic pigment particles, thereby producing the conductive liquid electrophotographic ink composition.

A method of preparing a conductive pattern on a substrate includes the steps of applying a receiving layer on a substrate, applying a metallic nanoparticle dispersion on the white receiving layer thereby forming a metallic pattern, and sintering the metallic pattern, characterized in that the receiving layer has a roughness Rz between 1 and 75.

An article comprising a heater that comprises a high-resistance magnification (HRM) PTC ink deposited on a flexible substrate to form one or more resistors. The HRM PTC ink has a resistance magnification of at least 20 in a temperature range of at least 20 degrees Celsius above a switching temperature of the ink, the resistance magnification being defined as a ratio between a resistance of the double-resin ink at a temperature ‘T’ and a resistance of the double-resin ink at 25 degrees Celsius.

A method of forming a high-conductivity electrical interconnect on a substrate may include forming a graphene film with a plurality of graphene members, depositing a metal over the graphene film, and providing a metallic overlay that connects the plurality of graphene members together through the depositing operation to form a covered graphene film.

An apparatus having reduced phononic coupling between a graphene monolayer and a substrate is provided. The apparatus includes an aerogel substrate and a monolayer of graphene coupled to the aerogel substrate.

The metal thin film production method of the present invention includes, in the following order, the steps of: preparing a substrate (1) having thereon an underlayer (2) formed of an insulating resin; subjecting a surface of the underlayer (2) to a physical surface treatment for breaking bonds of organic molecules constituting the insulating resin; subjecting the substrate (1) to a heat treatment at a temperature of 200° C. or lower; applying a metal nanoparticle ink to the underlayer (2); and sintering metal nanoparticles contained in the metal nanoparticle ink at a temperature equal to or higher than a glass transition temperature of the underlayer (2). A fused layer (4) having a thickness of 100 nm or less is formed between the underlayer (2) and a metal thin film (3) formed by sintering the metal nanoparticles.

Pastes are disclosed that are configured to coat a passage of a substrate. When the paste is sintered, the paste becomes electrically conductive so as to transmit electrical signals from a first end of the passage to a second end of the passage that is opposite the first end of the passage. The metallized paste contains a lead-free glass frit, and has a coefficient of thermal expansion sufficiently matched to the substrate so as to avoid cracking of the sintered paste, the substrate, or both, during sintering.

An ink composition is provided, a method of metalizing a surface of an insulation substrate and an article obtainable by the method are also provided. The ink composition may comprise a metal compound and an ink vehicle, the metal compound is at least one selected from a group consisting of a compound of formula I and a compound of formula II, TiO.sub.2-σ (I), M.sup.1M.sup.2.sub.pO.sub.q (II), 0.05≦σ<1.8, M.sup.1 is at least one element selected from a group consisting of groups 2, 9-12 of the periodic table according to IUPAC nomenclature, M.sup.2 is at least one element selected from a group consisting of groups 3-8, 10 and 13 of the periodic table according to IUPAC nomenclature, and 0<p≦2, and 0<q<4.