METHOD FOR FORMING METAL NANOPARTICLE SINTERED COMPACT LAYER

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new method for forming a metal nanoparticle sintered compact layer in which low temperature sintering treatment is performed to the coating film of a metal nanoparticle dispersion at temperature of 50-120°C to form a metal nanoparticle sintered compact layer having volume resistivity of at least 3×10 cm.SOLUTION: An oxidation-reduction treatment cycle in which an oxidation treatment of blowing a gaseous mixture containing oxygen molecules in the range of 10 to 25 vol.% to the surface of the coating film of a metal nanoparticle dispersion for 5-15 seconds while heating the coating film to 50-120°C to form an oxide film on the surface of each metal nanoparticle is combined with a reduction treatment of blowing a gaseous mixture containing the vapor of an organic compound having an alcoholic hydroxyl group in the range of 10 to 30 vol.% to the surface of the coating film for 120-300 seconds to reduce the oxide film on the surface of each metal nanoparticle is repeated several times, thus the low temperature sintering of each metal nanoparticle is stepwise progressed to form a metal nanoparticle sintered compact layer.