Thermomechanical reliability of conductive tracks screen printed on flexible magnetic sheets

Purpose The aim of this paper is to present thermal and mechanical durability of conductive tracks screen-printed with silver polymer pastes on flexible magnetic sheets. Design/methodology/approach A test pattern that consisted of three straight lines was printed with two different silver pastes on a flexible magnetic sheet and a polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) foil for comparison. Electrical properties of these lines were examined by resistance measurements and their thickness was measured with a digital microscope on cross sections. Cyclic bending was performed to investigate mechanical properties of prepared samples as well as thermal shocks to analyse their thermal durability. Further, samples after thermal shocks underwent cyclic bending to test influence of thermal exposure on mechanical properties of the prepared samples. Changes in the test lines after the thermal and mechanical tests were assessed by resistance measurements and microscopic analysis of surface and internal structure of the test lines. Findings It was found that the most important factor having an impact on electrical, mechanical and thermal properties of the conductive tracks screen-printed on magnetic sheets is a type of paste used. The samples made with the paste PM-406 exhibited lower resistance because of a higher layer thickness compared to the lines printed with the paste PF-050. The PM-406 layers were revealed to be less durable to mechanical and thermal exposures. An analogical relationship was noticed for the samples made with PM-406 and PF-050 on a PEN foil after thermal shocks and cyclic bending. When magnetic sheets were used as a substrate, a bigger degree of damage was observed for the PF-050 samples, which even lost their electrical continuity after 1,000 bending cycles and thermal cycles, irrespective of their number. Some damage was also noticed in the magnetic sheet after the bending and thermal cycles. Research limitations/implications Further investigations are required to examine the influence of other types of thermal exposure on electrical properties of lines printed on magnetic sheets. Other types of magnetic sheets are also recommended to be investigated as substrate materials. Practical implications The results reported in this study can be useful among others for designers of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems, which are intended to operate in a challenging environment with strong mechanical and thermal exposures. Originality/value This paper co