Nanosized Glass Frit as an Adhesion Promoter for Ink-Jet Printed Conductive Patterns on Glass Substrates Annealed at High Temperatures

Ink‐jet printed metal nanoparticle films have been shown to anneal at high temperatures (above 500 °C) to highly conductive metal films on glass or ceramic substrates, but they suffer from cracking and inadequate substrate adhesion. Here, we report printable conductive materials, with added nanosized glass frit that can be annealed at 500 °C to form a crack‐free dense microstructure that adheres well to glass substrates. This overcomes the previous challenges while still retaining the desired high film conductivity. Controlling the particle characteristics and dispersion behavior plays an important role in successfully incorporating the glass frit into the conductive inks. Silver nanoparticle‐based printable ink suitable for high‐temperature annealing is described. Incorporation of well‐controlled nanosized glass frit leads to crack‐free, dense, yet highly conductive patterns annealed at above 500 °C. The liquid phase of the glass forms when annealed above its glass transition temperature, promoting adhesion of the film to the substrate and reducing the volume shrinkage by filling the interstices between Ag nanoparticles.