Cobalt Nanoparticle Inks for Printed High Frequency Applications on Polycarbonate

In this work the high frequency properties of low curing temperature cobalt nanoparticle inks printed on polycarbonate substrates were investigated. The inks consisted of 30-70 vol.% metallic cobalt nanoparticles and poly (methylene methacrylate) polymer, having excellent adhesion on polycarbonate and a curing temperature of 110A degrees C. The influence of binder material content on the electromagnetic properties of the ink was investigated using the shorted microstrip transmission-line perturbation method. Changes in mechanical properties were evaluated with adhesion tests using the pull-out strength test and the ASTM D 3359-B cross-hatch tape peel test. The microstructure of the printed patterns was investigated with field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The inks remained mechanically durable with metal contents up to 60 vol.%, achieving pull-off strength of up to 5.2 MPa and the highest marks in adhesion of the tape peel test. The inks obtained a relative permeability of 1.5-3 in the 45 MHz-10 GHz band with a magnetic loss tangent of 0.01-0.06. The developed inks can be utilized in various printed electronics applications such as antenna miniaturization, antenna substrates and magnetic sensors or sensing.