Formation of Copper Nickel Bimetallic Nanoalloy Film Using Precursor Inks

Abstract

Precursor (Metal-organic decomposition (MOD)) inks are used to fabricate 2D and 3D printed conductive structures directly onto a substrate. By formulating a nanoalloy structure containing multiple metals, the opportunity to modify chemical and physical properties exists. In this paper, a copper-nickel bimetallic nanoalloy film was fabricated by mixing copper and nickel precursor inks and sintering them in vacuum. The individual elemental inks were formulated and characterized using SEM, EDS, and XRD. During thermal processing, elemental copper forms first and is followed by the formation of bimetallic copper-nickel alloy. The encapsulation of the underlying copper by the nickel-rich alloy provides excellent oxidation resistance. No change in film resistance was observed after the film was exposed to an oxygen plasma. Nanoalloy films printed using reactive metallic inks have a variety of important applications involving local control of alloy composition. Examples include facile formation of layered nanostructures, and electrical conductivity with oxidative stability.