Search Results (3)

In the last decade, interest in stretchable electronic systems that can be bent or shaped three-dimensionally has increased. The application of these systems is that they differentiate between two states and derive there from the requirements for the materials used: once formed, but static or permanently flexible. For this purpose, new materials that exceed the limited mechanical properties of thin metal layers as the typical printed circuit board conductor materials have recently gained the interest of research. In this work, novel electrically conductive textiles were used as conductor materials for stretchable circuit boards. Three different fabrics (woven, knitted and nonwoven) made of silver-plated polyamide fibers were investigated for their mechanical and electrical behavior under quasi-static and cyclic mechanical loads with simultaneous monitoring of the electrical resistance. Thereto, the electrically conductive textiles were embedded into a thermoplastic polyurethane dielectric matrix and structured by laser cutting into stretchable conductors. Based on the characterization of the mechanical and electrical material behavior, a life expectancy was derived. The results are compared with previously investigated stretchable circuit boards based on thermoplastic elastomer and meander-shaped conductor tracks made of copper foils. The microstructural changes in the material caused by the applied mechanical loads were analyzed and are discussed in detail to provide a deep understanding of failure mechanisms. Full article

The generation of a flexible printed circuit board on polymer fabrics has been a challenge over the last decade. In this work, a copper pattern was obtained on a soft substrate of filter paper/polyacrylonitrile (FP/PAN) film, where the filter paper was commercially available. The pattern of Ag particles was first produced on an Ag⁺-doped FP/PAN composite film, followed by electroless plating of copper using the metal silver particles as seeds. The in situ reduction of silver particles and the formation of the silver agglomeration pattern were induced by laser irradiation technology on the FP/PAN/AgNO₃ composite film. A variety of characterizations indicated that the resultant copper deposition was uniform, with good conductivity properties. Full article

The electrochemical corrosion behavior of a silver-plated circuit board (PCB-ImAg) in a polluted marine atmosphere environment (Qingdao in China) is studied through a simulated experiment. The morphologies of PCB-ImAg show some micropores on the surface that act as the corrosion-active points in the tests. Cl⁻ mainly induces microporous corrosion, whereas SO₂ causes general corrosion. Notably, the silver color changes significantly under SO₂ influence. EIS results show that the initial charge transfer resistance in the test containing SO₂ and Cl⁻ is 9.847 × 10³, while it is 3.701 × 10⁴ in the test containing Cl⁻ only, which demonstrates that corrosion accelerates in a mixed atmosphere. Polarization curves further show that corrosion potential is lower in mixed solutions (between −0.397 V SCE and −0.214 V SCE) than it in the solution containing Cl⁻ only (−0.168 V SCE), indicating that corrosion tendency increases with increased HSO₃⁻ concentration. Full article