JP2011068988A - Metallic nanoparticle and aggregate thereof, dispersion of metallic nanoparticle, and member formed by using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a metallic nanoparticle having properties of being dispersed in a polar solvent and an aggregate thereof; a dispersion in which the metallic nanoparticles are dispersed; a member formed by using the same; and a dispersing agent. <P>SOLUTION: The particle is formed by coating the surface of a metallic nanoparticle having a number average particle diameter of less than 50 nm with a protective agent which includes an organic compound having a polyalkylene oxide group and a carboxyl group such as an ester compound of an alkoxy polyoxyethylene glycol maleate. The dispersion has the metallic nanoparticles dispersed in the polar solvent of diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to metal nanoparticles and aggregates thereof, metal nanoparticle dispersions, members formed using the same, and dispersants.

  Metal nanoparticles are starting to be used in fields such as conductive materials and electronic members because they exhibit characteristics different from various bulk states due to their small particle size.

  Along with the recent progress in manufacturing technology, it has developed until nano-sized metal particles having an average primary particle size of 1 nm or more and 100 nm or less measured by a measuring method such as TEM (transmission electron microscope) can be formed. . However, since metal nanoparticles have a very high activity and have a property that sintering proceeds even at low temperatures, it is necessary to protect individual metal nanoparticles with a protective agent.

  The metal nanoparticles formed as described above are used by forming a metal thin film through steps such as coating and baking. Specifically, an ink or paste containing metal nanoparticles is once applied on a substrate and then heated to decompose and evaporate organic substances covering the surface and sinter the metal to form a metal film. The metal film once formed in this way exhibits the same properties as the bulk metal.

  Such properties are used in the following cases. For example, in the case of forming the wiring by a printing method, after drawing the wiring on the substrate at a low temperature, heat is applied to form the metal wiring. And the metal wiring once formed by this baking has the property that even if it raises temperature to the temperature added at the time of baking, it does not fuse | melt. In addition, since the metal can be easily obtained, it can be used not only for wiring applications but also for applications such as bonding between substances.

  In Patent Document 1, the present applicant discloses a method for obtaining silver nanoparticles coated with an organic protective agent having a low carbon number by substituting the organic protective agent originally coated in order to obtain low-temperature sinterability. did.

JP 2008-297580 A

  Conventionally, a material in which metal nanoparticles are protected with an organic protective agent as described above is dispersed in a nonpolar and / or lipophilic solvent (for example, a solvent comprising tetradecane), that is, a conductive metal nanoparticle dispersion. Ink and conductive paste are widely known.

  However, conventional metal nanoparticles usually exhibit dispersibility in a specific solvent, but usually do not exhibit dispersibility in dispersions having different properties. For example, particles that are dispersible in a nonpolar hydrocarbon solvent are generally in a relationship that it is difficult to exhibit dispersibility in a polar alcohol solvent.

  However, in the case of gravure offset printing, if the dispersion medium of the printing ink or paste is a nonpolar and / or oleophilic solvent, the blanket roll swells or dissolves due to the ink components, so the wiring pattern changes over time. It has been pointed out that there are inconveniences such as being overweight and the durability of the blanket roll itself being lost. In particular, the tendency is remarkable in the silicon rubber blanket studied for fine wiring. In order to form fine wiring with metal nanoparticles by a printing method using a plate, a solvent in which metal nanoparticles are dispersed is used. It is necessary to change the nature of

  If it becomes possible to use a dispersion medium having such a property that does not affect the silicone rubber, for example, a polar solvent such as water, wiring is formed by a printing method in particular. It is expected that this will be able to be performed easily and will make a great contribution in the field of electronic member development.

  Therefore, as an object of the present invention, metal nanoparticles having the property of being dispersed in a polar solvent and aggregates thereof, a dispersant for dispersing metal nanoparticles in a polar solvent, a dispersion in which the metal nanoparticles are dispersed, and It is in providing the member formed using.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention proposes to use a protective agent, which is an organic compound having both a carboxyl group and a polyalkylene oxide group, as the organic protective agent attached to the metal nanoparticles. Moreover, metal nanoparticles exhibiting dispersibility in a polar solvent can be provided by adding a protective agent having such properties to the solvent.

Specific embodiments are as follows.
That is, as a first configuration, an organic compound having a property of being dispersed in a polar solvent and having a polyalkylene oxide group and a carboxyl group is used as a protective agent for metal nanoparticles.

  As a second configuration, particularly as a protective agent composed of the above-described organic compound having a polyalkylene oxide group and a carboxyl group, the alkylene group in the polyalkylene oxide group has 2 to 4 carbon atoms, and the addition of the alkylene oxide group The number of moles is 2 to 30 moles.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to select a compound having an unsaturated bond in the organic compound having the polyalkylene oxide group and the carboxyl group as the third constitution.

  Further, as the fourth configuration, it is particularly preferable to select a compound having an alkoxy polyethylene glycol maleate as a main skeleton.

  And as a fifth configuration, it is proposed to use a dispersant having a property of dispersing metal particles in a polar solvent and composed of an organic compound having a polyalkylene oxide group and a carboxyl group. It is expected to have the same properties as the above-mentioned protective agent, and by using such a dispersant, metal nanoparticles exhibiting good dispersibility in a polar solvent can be provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the metal nanoparticle which shows a dispersibility in a polar medium, its aggregate, and the dispersion using a metal nanoparticle can be provided now. Thus, since a printing method using a plate suitable for mass production can be used, an electronic member having a fine wiring using metal nanoparticles can be provided efficiently.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the nanoparticle dispersion in this invention. It is the schematic explaining the structure of each particle | grain. It is the schematic which shows a mode that the circumference | surroundings of the metal nanoparticle already coat | covered with the protective agent X and the coating body (alpha) were further covered with the coating body (beta) formed with the protective agent Y.

  The present inventors examined metal nanoparticles that exhibit good dispersibility according to the desired dispersion solvent. As a result, as disclosed in the present specification, the metal nanoparticles are directly coated with a specific organic substance, or the organic substance is added between the metal nanoparticles as a buffer, so that it exhibits good dispersion stability. I found it. That is, in the case of direct coating, dispersibility is imparted to the metal nanoparticles by coating the surface of the metal nanoparticles with the organic substance. On the other hand, when used as a buffering agent, if the surroundings of metal nanoparticles already covered with other organic substances are present so as to cover at least a part of the organic nanoparticles, the organic substances are buffered between the metal nanoparticles. I found it to work as an agent.

  Such metal nanoparticles exhibit suitable dispersibility in polar solvents, particularly glycol ether solvents. Also, when used as a dispersant, it was found that it can be used as a dispersion exhibiting excellent dispersibility even if it tends to agglomerate initially, and the present invention has been completed based on the above knowledge. I let you.

  About the method of obtaining the particle | grains in this invention, the outline was shown in FIG. In this specification, the “aggregate of metal nanoparticles” is a substitute for a protective agent (hereinafter, a substance having a role of a protective agent may be referred to as “surfactant”) present on the surface of the metal nanoparticles. In addition, it means a cake-like substance obtained by aggregating at least two or more metal nanoparticles through a separation / washing process, and “metal nanoparticles” are obtained by transmission / scanning electron micrographs. This refers to particles having a number average particle diameter of less than 50 nm in the observed primary particles.

  A detailed description of FIG. 1 will be given in the section of the description of the individual process, but the outline is as follows. Initially, a dispersion liquid in which metal nanoparticles 2 coated with X as a protective agent are dispersed in an organic medium A is prepared. To this, an organic medium B containing a protective agent Y, which is an organic compound having both a carboxyl group and a polyalkylene oxide group, is added and stirred. (At this time, the organic medium B is more excellent in the solubility of the protective agent X than the organic medium A) (FIG. 1A). By doing so, the protective agent X that has coated the surface of the metal nanoparticles in the organic medium B is dissolved and peeled off, and instead the protective agent Y having a carboxyl group in the surroundings covers the surface of the metal nanoparticles. (FIGS. 1B and 1C) The metal nanoparticles 3 thus obtained (FIG. 1E) are also dispersed in another type of organic dispersion medium C (FIG. 1F). The metal nanoparticles 3 coated with the protective agent Y can be further removed of the protective agent X remaining on the surface by washing with the organic medium B after separation.

[Synthesis of metal nanoparticles]
As shown in FIG. 1 (a), silver nanoparticles 1 are obtained by attaching a protective agent X to the surface of metal nanoparticles 1 deposited by reducing a metal compound as a raw material of the metal nanoparticle dispersion. The metal nanoparticles 2 whose surface is covered with the protective agent X are prepared.

  The metal nanoparticles 2 in this embodiment (particles before substitution, which corresponds to the raw material in terms of production of the metal nanoparticles 3) have stable particle properties such as particle size distribution and are liquid. It is important that the material has a property of being difficult to aggregate and settle in the medium. Such particles can be obtained by the method described in Japanese Patent No. 4284283 by the present applicant, particularly for silver.

  An outline of the synthesis method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4284283 and matters related to the related contents, and compounds used in the synthesis method will be briefly described. However, since it can be said that the metal species is applicable not only to silver but also gold, copper, nickel, iron, platinum and the like, in the description here, it is described as metal nanoparticles.

  As the metal compound that is a metal supply source, various compounds can be applied as long as they can be dissolved in the solvent, and examples thereof include chlorides, nitrates, acetates, and carbonates. preferable.

  Alcohol or polyol is used as a solvent that also serves as a reducing agent for reducing the metal compound. As a result, the metal nanoparticles 2 with less impurities can be obtained.

  Specific examples of the alcohol include propyl alcohol (1-propyl alcohol), n-butanol, isobutanol, sec-butyl alcohol, hexyl alcohol, heptyl alcohol, octyl alcohol, allyl alcohol, crotyl alcohol, and cyclopentanol. Etc. can be used. As the polyol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, or the like, or a combination thereof can be used. Among these compounds, isobutanol and n-butanol are particularly preferable.

  The temperature of the reduction reaction is desirably in the range of 50 to 200 ° C. In addition, it is efficient to perform a reflux operation during the reduction reaction. For this reason, it is preferable that the alcohol or polyol has a lower boiling point, specifically, 80 ° C. or higher and 300 ° C. or lower, preferably 80 ° C. or higher and 200 ° C. or lower, more preferably 80 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower.

  Although not described in the patent, a reduction aid may be added to promote the reduction reaction. Any known reducing auxiliary agent may be used, but diethanolamine or triethanolamine is particularly preferable.

  Here, in the present embodiment, when the reduction reaction proceeds, an organic compound that functions as a protective agent is allowed to coexist in the solvent. This organic compound will later constitute the protective agent X for the metal nanoparticles 2.

  Here, it is desired that the organic compound constituting the protective agent X does not have an unnecessarily high adhesive force with the surface of the metal nanoparticle 1. That is, in this embodiment, it is extremely effective to employ the protective agent X having such a property that it can be dissolved in the liquid organic medium B to be mixed in a later step and can be relatively easily detached from the surface of the metal nanoparticles 1. . Further, it is desirable to use a protective agent X having a molecular weight of 150 to 1000, more preferably 200 to 400.

  Specific examples of the organic compound include amines, and specific examples include butylamine, amylamine, hexylamine, heptylamine, octylamine, nonylamine, nonylamine, decylamine, dodecylamine, oleylamine, isopropylamine, isopropanol. Examples include pentylamine, 2-methylbutylamine, dipropylamine, dibutylamine, tetramethyl-1,3-diaminopropane, diethylaminopropylamine, and morpholine, among which those having an unsaturated bond are suitable, especially oleylamine Is preferred.

  When the metal nanoparticles are silver, the amount of the organic compound (which constitutes the protective agent X) that is allowed to coexist in the solvent during the reduction reaction can be 0.1 to 20 equivalents relative to silver. It is more preferable to set it as 1.0-15 equivalent, and 2.0-10 equivalent is still more preferable.

  In the case of silver in the step of synthesizing the metal nanoparticles 2, the silver ion concentration in the liquid during the reaction can be 0.05 mol / L or more, preferably 0.05 to 5.0 mol / L. . The molar ratio of reducing aid / metal can be in the range of 0.1-20.

  In some cases, the reduction reaction can be carried out in multiple stages. For example, when the reduction proceeds rapidly at once, the particle growth may progress too rapidly. In order to effectively control the particle size, it is preferable to perform the reduction at a low temperature first, and then proceed the reduction while switching the temperature to a high temperature or gradually increasing the temperature. At this time, if the temperature difference is large, there is a concern that the particle size distribution may change significantly. Therefore, it is desirable that the difference between the lowest temperature and the highest temperature be within 20 ° C. It is more preferable to strictly control the temperature within 15 ° C, more preferably within 10 ° C.

  The metal nanoparticle 2 covered with the protective agent X (in this embodiment, oleylamine) can be obtained by the synthesis process of the metal nanoparticle 2 as described above. That is, by covering the metal nanoparticles 1 with oleylamine, the metal nanoparticles 2 having excellent dispersibility in nonpolar and / or lipophilic solvents can be obtained.

[Preparation of metal nanoparticle dispersion]
The metal nanoparticles 2 covered with the protective agent X are synthesized by the reduction reaction in the wet process as described above, for example, and then subjected to solid-liquid separation and washing. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1A, the obtained “metal nanoparticle 1 / protectant X complex” is mixed with the liquid organic medium A to form a dispersion.

  As the liquid organic medium A, a substance in which the metal nanoparticles (in this embodiment, silver fine powder) covered with the protective agent X are favorably dispersed is preferred. For example, a hydrocarbon-based medium can be suitably used. In particular, aliphatic hydrocarbons such as isooctane, n-decane, isododecane, isohexane, n-undecane, n-tetradecane, dodecane, n-dodecane, tridecane, tetradecane, pentadecane, hexadecane, hexane, heptane, octane, nonane, and cyclohexane Aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, diethylbenzene, decalin, tetralin and cyclohexylbenzene can be used. One or more of these substances may be used as the liquid organic medium A. In the present embodiment, description will be made using tetradecane as the liquid organic medium A.

  In this way, an organic compound having an unsaturated bond and a molecular weight of 150 to 1000, that is, metal nanoparticles 2 to which oleylamine (protective agent X) is attached as a surfactant to be substituted in the present embodiment is made nonpolar and / or Alternatively, it is dispersed in a lipophilic liquid organic medium A (tetradecane) to prepare a nonpolar and / or lipophilic solvent dispersion.

For the dispersion thus obtained, a liquid of a surfactant to be substituted (particularly, an organic compound having a carboxyl group and an alkylene oxide group: protective agent Y) is prepared, and the metal nanoparticles 2 are in a liquid state. By adding to the liquid dispersed in the organic medium A, the protective agent X and the protective agent Y are replaced, and a solvent having polarity and / or hydrophilicity such as glycol ether (both liquid organic in the figure). It became dispersible with respect to the medium C), and it was found that a metal nanoparticle dispersion having excellent dispersibility can be obtained without changing the particle size of the metal nanoparticles 1.
Based on the above points, the step of replacing the protective agent X with the protective agent Y will be specifically described.

[Protective agent replacement step]
The process for obtaining what coat | covered the metal nanoparticle 1 surface shown in FIG.1 (f) with the protective agent Y is demonstrated using FIG.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a dispersion of the “metal nanoparticle 1 / protective agent X complex (metal nanoparticle 2)” (described above) and a liquid in which the organic compound constituting the protective agent X is easily dissolved. The protective agent X is desorbed from the surface of the metal nanoparticle 1 by mixing with the organic medium B. At that time, desorption proceeds in a state where an organic compound constituting the protective agent Y is present. When an organic compound constituting the protective agent Y is present in the vicinity of the metal nanoparticles 2, the surface of the metal nanoparticles 1 can be quickly protected before aggregation or sintering of the metal nanoparticles 1 from which the protective agent X is detached. Those covered with Y (metal nanoparticles 3) can be obtained. In that sense, the organic compound constituting the protective agent Y has a better affinity with the surface of the metal nanoparticle 1, and the protective agent X has a higher affinity for the metal nanoparticle 1 than the protective agent Y. Is desired to be weak. With such a configuration, the replacement of the protective agent X with the protective agent Y can easily proceed.

  As the liquid organic medium B, it is preferable to use a liquid organic medium having a higher solubility of the organic compound constituting the protective agent X than the liquid organic medium Y. As such a substance, it is simple and economical to use alcohols. Many amine compounds such as oleylamine are generally difficult to dissolve in the liquid organic medium A exemplified above, but exhibit relatively good solubility in alcohols. As such alcohols, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, isobutanol and the like which are relatively inexpensive and easily available can be used. The liquid organic medium B may be composed of two or more substances.

  The protective agent Y is an organic compound having a carboxyl group for adhering to the metal nanoparticles 1 and a compound having a polyalkylene oxide group for dispersion in a polar and / or hydrophilic solvent. The molecular weight is selected, for example, from 1000 or less so that the sintering temperature of the ink or paste using metal nanoparticles can be lowered to 100 to 200 ° C, preferably 100 to 150 ° C.

Examples of such compounds, represent polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether acetic acid _{(R 1 -O- (R 2 O} ) n-CH 2 COOH, R 1 = alkyl group, an aryl group, an allyl group, cycloalkane, a heterocycle, etc. , C 1-30, R ₂ = C 2-4 alkylene group, addition mole number n = 3-20, and alkoxy polyoxyethylene glycol maleic acid (n = 3-30, R = C 1 carbon) To 50). In addition, alkoxy polyoxyethylene glycol fumaric acid and alkoxy polyoxyethylene glycol itaconic acid can be mentioned. Among these, an alkylene oxide of maleic acid half ester having an unsaturated bond (double bond) and ethylene oxide having an addition mole number n of 2 to 30 are preferable. Among them, an alkylene group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms and an addition mole number n of 5 to 20 is more preferable.

  Examples of the polyalkylene oxide group include ethylene oxide (C2), propylene oxide (C3), and butylene oxide (C4). Here, as a form, these alkylene oxide groups may take a mixed form independently. Furthermore, these bonding modes may take any bonding mode of random bonding, block bonding, and graft bonding.

If the added mole number of ethylene oxide is less than 2, the dispersibility with respect to the polar solvent is inferior, and the sinterability when the conductive metal wiring is sintered is inferior.
On the other hand, although the metal ink or paste is heated and fired at an optimum temperature in the range of 150 to 500 ° C. after the conductive wiring is formed, it remains in the film when the solvent C or the protective agent Y is dried and evaporated. If it becomes, it will become an impurity element which remain | survives in a film | membrane, and an electrical resistance value will rise. Therefore, the protective agent Y, which is an organic layer, needs to be volatilized at the time of heating and baking. However, when the ethylene oxide group exceeds 30 mol, the molecular weight becomes too large, so that the ethylene oxide group is not volatilized by heating and baking, and the electric resistance value is increased. Since it will raise, it is not preferable.

  In particular, in the vicinity of the center portion other than the end portion in the ceramic / resin film, ceramic / metal, and metal / metal joining, the amount of oxygen supplied from the firing atmosphere is extremely small, and the so-called “steaming” state occurs. Organic residue is generated in the fired film of ink or paste. By having an ethylene oxide group, oxygen supply by itself becomes possible, and the residue of the protective agent Y can be reliably removed by oxidative decomposition. The protective agent Y preferably has at least one of an ether group and an ester group in addition to the carboxyl group and the polyalkylene oxide group. By carrying out like this, it is thought that polarity and / or hydrophilicity can be further improved in the dispersion, and the stability over time of the dispersion state is further improved. According to the knowledge of the inventors, the tendency is particularly remarkable when glycol ether is used.

  As the protective agent Y, in particular, sulfur forms an insulating metal compound. Therefore, it is desirable not to use an organic compound containing a sulfur element in applications related to electronic components. Furthermore, sodium salts and potassium salts, which are widely used as surfactants, cause disconnection as a result of migration due to ionic components in fine wiring applications, so it is desirable not to use them in such applications.

  When a protective agent X that is easily desorbed from the surface of the metal nanoparticle 1 is used, a functional group that has a particularly enhanced affinity (adsorbability) with the metal surface as an organic compound constituting the protective agent Y, such as sulfur Even without using an organic compound having a functional group including thiol (for example, a thiol group), the surface of the metal nanoparticle 1 can be coated with the protective agent Y. Specifically, when an organic compound having a carboxyl group is used as the organic compound constituting the protective agent Y, the surface of the metal nanoparticles 1 can be sufficiently covered.

  Further, the sintering temperature of the ink or paste can be lowered by the protective agent Y. The reason is that a dispersion having a metal concentration of 60% by mass or more can be constructed by the metal nanoparticles 3 coated with the protective agent Y. The organic compound constituting the protective agent Y is preferably a substance capable of causing desorption or transpiration at a temperature of 100 to 500 ° C. and sintering of the metal nanoparticles. By using such an organic substance, a metal dispersion can be applied onto a glass substrate by a spin coating method or the like, and a coating film having a thickness of 15 microns or less can be baked in the air to form a low-resistance conductive film. Whether or not sintering has occurred can be determined by measuring the electrical resistance of the fired body. That is, the fired body in which the sintering has occurred has a markedly lower electrical resistance than the fired body in which the sintering has not occurred. Note that the state where the sintering is only partially performed and the electric resistance is not sufficiently lowered is not regarded as “sintering” here.

In order to obtain such metal nanoparticles 2 coated with the protective agent Y, the metal nanoparticles 1 will be described as an example, and the following (i) to (iii) are mixed.
(I) Dispersion liquid in which “metal nanoparticle 1 / protective agent X complex” is dispersed in liquid organic medium A (ii) Organic compound for coating metal nanoparticles 1 as protective agent Y (iii) Liquid organic medium A Liquid organic medium B with higher solubility of protective agent X than
At that time, it is important to mix the liquids (i) and (iii) in the presence of the organic compound (ii). In other words, even if the organic compound (ii) is added after the liquids (i) and (iii) are mixed and the elimination of the protective agent X from the metal nanoparticles 2 proceeds, the protective agent Y Therefore, it is difficult to coat individual metal nanoparticles 1. That is, when the protective agent X is detached from the metal nanoparticles 2, it is important that an organic compound for constituting the protective agent Y exists in the vicinity of the particle. As a result, it is more preferable that dissolution of the substitute agent X in the liquid organic medium B and adhesion of the substitute agent Y to the surface of the metal nanoparticle 1 proceed simultaneously.

As a method of mixing the above (i) to (iii), for example, the following mixing methods 1 to 3 can be employed.
[Mixing method 1]
A method of simultaneously adding the organic compound (ii) and the liquid organic medium B (iii) to the dispersion liquid (i).
[Mixing method 2]
A method in which the dispersion liquid (i) and the organic compound (ii) are mixed in advance, and the liquid mixture and the liquid organic medium B (iii) are mixed.
[Mixing method 3]
A method in which the liquid organic medium B in (iii) and the organic compound in (ii) are mixed in advance, and the mixture and the liquid in (i) are mixed.

  Any mixing method can be carried out in the range of room temperature to 50 ° C. The liquid agitation need not be particularly intense agitation. The amount of the liquid organic medium B used is preferably an amount sufficient to dissolve the entire amount of the protective agent X of the “metal nanoparticle 1 / protective agent X complex”. Further, the amount of the organic compound constituting the protective agent Y is such that the metal nanoparticle 1 can be completely covered, that is, the amount that the metal surfaces of the metal nanoparticle 1 are not sintered at room temperature when mixed. .

  When the above (i) to (iii) are mixed, the metal fine powder coated with the protective agent X is replaced with the protective agent Y as shown in FIG. As a result, metal nanoparticles 3 coated with the protective agent Y are generated.

[Solid-liquid separation and washing]
The metal nanoparticles 3 coated with the protective agent Y produced by the protective agent replacement step usually settle in the liquid organic medium B (FIG. 1 (d)). After this liquid is solid-liquid separated by centrifugation or sedimentation, the metal nanoparticles 3 coated with the protective agent Y are extracted from the liquid organic medium B (FIG. 1 (e)). Thereafter, the metal nanoparticles 3 are washed using methanol or isopropanol. This combination of solid-liquid separation and washing may be performed a plurality of times.

  In the present embodiment, by performing this solid-liquid separation / washing step, the protective agent X dissolved in the liquid organic medium B and the surplus protective agent Y that is not used for substitution are removed from the metal nanoparticles 3. remove.

  Thus, by extracting only the metal nanoparticles 3 from the liquid organic medium B, the metal nanoparticles 3 were dissolved when dispersed in the metal nanoparticle dispersion solvent C newly prepared after this extraction step. It is possible to prevent foreign substances made of the protective agent X from entering. As a result, the quality of the metal nanoparticles can be improved.

[Preparation of metal dispersion]
As shown in FIG. 1 (f), in the present embodiment, glycol ethers, ie, polar and / or hydrophilic solvents that serve as the metal nanoparticle dispersion solvent C are added to the metal nanoparticles 3 thus extracted. Add and disperse.

  In other words, based on the process described above, the metal nanoparticle 2 is produced by attaching the protective agent X having a weaker affinity to the silver nanoparticle 1 than the protective agent Y to the surface of the metal nanoparticle 1, and the metal nanoparticle. At the same time as the protective agent X is dissolved, the protective agent Y is attached to the surface of the metal nanoparticles to produce the metal nanoparticles 3, and the metal nanoparticles 3 are dispersed in the glycol ether.

  In this case, by mixing the metal nanoparticles 3 and glycol ether as a polar solvent and allowing the mixture to stand after stirring, the dispersion has such a degree that the dispersion state in which precipitation does not occur is maintained for at least one month. It becomes like this. Since such particles have a long life as a dispersion, they can be used for a long period of time when used, which is very convenient for handling.

  Examples of the glycol ether include ethylene-based ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether (ethyl cellosolve), diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, triethylene glycol monomethyl ether, polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoisopropyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether ( Butyl cellosolve), diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, triethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylene glycol monoisobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monoisobutyl ether, ethylene glycol monohexyl ether, diethylene glycol monohexyl ether, ethylene glycol mono-2-ethylhexyl ether Ether, diethylene glycol mono-2-ethylhexyl ether, include those such as ethylene glycol monoallyl ether.

  Examples of the propylene group include propylene glycol monomethyl ether, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monopropyl ether, dipropylene glycol monopropyl ether, propylene glycol monobutyl ether, and dipropylene glycol monobutyl ether.

  Furthermore, examples of the dialkyl group include ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, triethylene glycol dimethyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ethyl ether, diethylene glycol diethyl ether, diethylene glycol dibutyl ether, dipropylene glycol dimethyl ether, and 3-methoxy-3-methyl-1-butanol. .

  Examples of glycol esters include ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate (BCA), and diethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate. The above glycol ethers may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Is done. In particular, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate is more preferable because of a good balance between evaporation and drying speed in the step of printing the metal nanoparticle dispersion on the substrate.

  In the present embodiment, the case where glycol ether is used as the metal nanoparticle dispersion solvent C is described, but other polar and / or hydrophilic solvents such as ketones, polyols, alcohols, polyols, and water are used. Can also be used.

  Examples of the ketone include methyl isobutyl ketone, acetylacetone, di-n-propyl ketone, methyl-n-amyl ketone, ethyl-n-butyl ketone, cyclohexanone, methylcyclohexanone, diisobutyl ketone, diacetone alcohol, acetophenone, isophorone, texanol, and their Combinations are listed.

  Examples of the polyol include ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and combinations thereof.

  Examples of the alcohol include methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol (IPA), n-butanol, isobutanol, t-butanol, hexanol, heptanol, 1-octanol, 2-octanol, 1-decanol, dodecanol, benzyl alcohol, Terpineol and combinations thereof may be mentioned.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, various design adjustments are possible. For example, contrary to the present embodiment, metal nanoparticles having good dispersibility in polar and / or hydrophilic solvents can be made nonpolar and / or It can also be applied to the case of changing the properties to metal nanoparticles having good dispersibility in a lipophilic solvent.

  Thus, the metal nanoparticle 3 having the protective agent Y attached to the surface of the metal nanoparticle 1 is dispersed in the metal nanoparticle dispersion solvent C, which is a polar solvent such as glycol ether, to thereby obtain a polar and / or hydrophilic solvent. A dispersion can be made.

  Since the particles obtained by the present invention exhibit dispersibility in a polar solvent, a dispersant that can be added to the polar solvent may be separately added to the dispersion in some cases. Specifically, a water-soluble resin, particularly a water-soluble polysaccharide can be added. In particular, water-soluble polysaccharides include water-soluble hemicellulose, gum arabic, tragacanth gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum, gwar gum, tara gum, cloth nori, agar, fur celerin, tamarind seed polysaccharide, karaya gum, troaroa, pectin, pullulan, gellan gum, locust bean gum, various types Starch, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), methylcellulose (MC), ethylcellulose (EC), hydroxymethylcellulose (HMC), hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC), hydroxyethylmethylcellulose (HEMC), hydroxyethylethylcellulose (HEEC) ), Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), hydroxypropylethylcellulose (HPEC) Hydroxyethyl hydroxypropyl cellulose (HEHPC), sulfoethyl cellulose, dihydroxypropyl cellulose (DHPC), can be added propylene glycol alginate, and modified starches represented by soluble starch, and the like.

  The amount of water-soluble polysaccharide added should be less than 10% by weight, preferably less than 5% by weight, more preferably less than 3% by weight, based on the metal component. Addition of 10% by mass or more of a water-soluble resin hinders inter-particle sintering of metal nanoparticles, and further enters the gap between the particles to increase the resistance in the existing portion, so that it is sufficient as a conductive film. Since the performance cannot be exhibited, it is not preferable.

  A coupling agent may be added to the metal nanoparticles obtained in the present invention in order to improve adhesion to the substrate. Specifically, as a silane coupling agent, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltris (β-methoxyethoxy) silane, β- (3,4-epoxycyclohexyl) ethyltrimethoxysilane, γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, γ -Methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, N-β- (aminoethyl) -γ-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N-β- (aminoethyl) -γ-aminomethyldimethoxysilane, γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, γ Examples thereof include chloropropyltrimethoxysilane and γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane. Also, as long as the sinterability is not impaired, known polymers, such as epoxy resins, urethane resins, acrylic resins, phenol resins, polyester resins, phenoxy resins, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyether urethane modified products, polyether series Addition of resin or the like is not disturbed.

  As another embodiment, the above-mentioned protective agent Y can be added to a liquid to which metal nanoparticles coated with another protective agent are added, and used as a dispersant for metal nanoparticles.

  Specifically, a medium composed solely of the liquid organic medium B is added to the metal nanoparticle dispersion liquid (FIG. 1A) coated with oleylamine or hexylamine, and the metal nanoparticles 2 are aggregated and settled. The supernatant organic medium A or the mixed medium composed of the organic medium A and the organic medium B is removed, and this operation is repeated several times, and the above-mentioned polar solvent and the protective agent Y are mixed in advance with the metal nanoparticles 2 from which the supernatant has been removed. Alternatively, this mixed liquid may be added to the aggregate of the metal nanoparticles 2 to form a dispersion. Alternatively, instead of the form of such a dispersion, the aggregate itself may be added to a liquid in which the above polar solvent and the protective agent Y are mixed in advance to form a dispersion. In this case, when the organic medium B is removed as much as possible by a decompression operation or the like, the stability of the dispersion can be maintained for a long time.

  There are still many uncertainties regarding the mechanism by which this dispersant exerts its function, but it is speculated that it may act as follows.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the metal nanoparticles already coated with the protective agent X are already coated with the protective agent X (eg oleylamine or hexylamine) by using the protective agent Y as a dispersing agent. The periphery of the metal nanoparticle 1 on which is formed is further coated with a coating β formed of the protective agent Y. Thereby, the protective agent Y functions as a dispersant, and at the same time, acts as a buffer between the metal nanoparticles, further improving dispersibility.

  Moreover, after improving the dispersibility to a polar solvent using the metal nanoparticle 3 substituted by the above-mentioned protective agent Y, the protective agent Y can also be used as the above-mentioned dispersant. By adopting such a form, it is possible to form both the coated body α directly covering the particles and the coated body β acting as a dispersing agent with the same organic material, and the improved dispersion due to the influence of the coated body α. It is preferable because it can be further increased by β.

  Such a double covering with the protective agent Y not only improves the dispersibility chemically, but also reduces the opportunity for the metal nanoparticles to physically approach each other. Contributes to improved dispersibility of metal nanoparticles.

  In addition, as an example of using the protective agent Y as a dispersant for the polar solvent, the metal nanoparticles coated with the protective agent X were mentioned. However, the metal nanoparticles already coated with the protective agent Y as described above. May be used, or may be coated with a substance other than the above-described protective agent X, or metal nanoparticles coated with a known surfactant may be used.

  Further, the timing of mixing using the protective agent Y as a dispersant may be added at the time of mixing with the polar solvent as described above, or after the metal nanoparticles 2 are formed, the metal nanoparticles. The protective agent Y may be added as a dispersant in advance to the organic solvent containing 2. Further, before adding the protective agent Y, the dispersibility may be increased by stirring in advance, and the protective agent Y may be added as a dispersant. In addition, when an additive such as another dispersant is added after mixing the polar solvent and the metal nanoparticles 2, the protective agent Y is finally added to obtain a dispersion having good dispersibility. It may be added as a dispersant.

In this embodiment, a case where silver is selected as the metal species will be described.
Example 1
[Silver nanoparticle synthesis process]
6009.2 g of oleylamine (protective agent X, reagent manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.), 2270.3 g of 2-octanol (reagent manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), 1495.6 g of silver nitrate crystals (special grade reagent manufactured by Kanto Chemical Co., Ltd.) Prepared. 2-Octanol, oleylamine, and silver nitrate crystals were mixed to prepare a solution in which silver nitrate was completely dissolved. The formulation is as follows. Here, oleylamine with respect to silver has a molar ratio of 2.5, 2-octanol with respect to silver has a molar ratio of 2.0, and 2-octanol with respect to oleylamine has a molar ratio of 0.8.

  The above blended liquid was mixed, transferred to a container equipped with a refluxer, placed on an oil bath, and heated to 120 ° C. at a heating rate of 1.0 ° C./min while stirring with a propeller. Next, the temperature was raised to 140 ° C. at a temperature raising rate of 0.5 ° C./min. Then, it maintained at 140 degreeC for 1 hour, maintaining the said stirring state. At that time, nitrogen gas was supplied to the gas phase part of the container at a flow rate of 500 mL / min and purged. Thereafter, heating was stopped and cooling was performed. After leaving the slurry after the reaction for 3 days or more, the supernatant was removed. At that time, the removal amount of the supernatant was adjusted so that the reduced silver was 20% by mass with respect to the total slurry.

  Isopropanol was mixed with the slurry after removing the supernatant at a molar ratio of silver: isopropanol = 1: 30 in the slurry and washed with stirring. At this time, the stirring speed was 400 rpm, and the stirring time was 60 min. Thereafter, the solid content including silver particles was recovered by centrifugation. In the solid content thus washed, metal (silver) nanoparticles 2 coated with the protective agent X (oleylamine) are present. The particle diameter of 500 particles was measured with a photograph taken with a transmission electron microscope (TEM), and the number average particle diameter was determined. The number average particle diameter was 8.7 nm.

  Moreover, when the slurry before washing | cleaning was heated by TG (thermogravimetry) method among the above and the amount of metal (silver) components was computed, it turned out that 20% exists as a metal component. This indicates that 20 g of metallic silver is present in 100 g of the slurry, which corresponds to 0.19 mol.

  Subsequently, the protective agent X is replaced with a protective agent Y (alkylene oxide compound). As protective agent Y, Antox (registered trademark) LMH-20, which is an ester of polyoxyethylene alkyl ether maleic acid and lauryl alcohol, manufactured by Nippon Emulsifier Co., Ltd. A special grade reagent, molecular weight 60.1) was prepared as a protective agent replacement solution to be added to the silver particles.

  The polyethylene oxide adduct of maleate ester and isopropanol were mixed at a molar ratio of maleate ester: isopropanol = 0.014: 1, and the liquid temperature was kept at 40 ° C. To this solution, metal (silver) nanoparticles 2 coated with a protective agent X (oleylamine) were added and stirred with a propeller. While maintaining this stirring state, it was kept at 40 ° C. for 5 hours. In this case, the amount charged was adjusted so that the amount of the protective agent Y (maleic acid ester) relative to silver was 0.1 equivalent. By this operation, metal nanoparticles 3 coated with the protective agent Y (maleic ester) were obtained.

[Solid-liquid separation and washing]
The obtained slurry was subjected to solid-liquid separation by centrifugation at 3000 rpm for 5 minutes. Thereafter, the solid component was stirred and washed at a molar ratio of the solid component: methanol = 1: 30. At this time, the rotational speed of stirring was 400 rpm, and the stirring time was 30 minutes.

In this example, this solid-liquid separation / sedimentation step was performed once more, then solid-liquid separation was performed, and metal (silver) nanoparticles 3 were extracted by collecting the solid components.
In addition, when the presence or absence of substitution with a protective agent was confirmed with respect to the metal (silver) nanoparticles 3 in this example by an organic analysis using GC-MS (gas chromatograph mass spectrometer), a peak due to oleylamine was obtained. Therefore, it was determined that almost all oleylamine was substituted with maleate.

  Furthermore, in order to confirm the influence on the particles at the time of substitution, while confirming the growth degree of the crystal particles on the (111) diffraction surface by XRD (X-ray diffraction method), the presence or absence of the growth of the primary particle diameter was confirmed from the TEM image. In either case, an extreme change (increase in crystallite diameter or increase in primary particle diameter) was not confirmed.

[Preparation of metal nanoparticle dispersion]
After obtaining the metal nanoparticles 3 by the solid-liquid separation / sedimentation, 0.3 g of the silver nanoparticles 3 was added to 10 g of diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate as the solvent C for the metal nanoparticle dispersion, and then 40 ° C. While maintaining the above, ultrasonic dispersion was performed for 5 minutes.

[Evaluation of dispersion stability]
Thereafter, the obtained dispersion was allowed to stand at room temperature for one month, and the presence or absence of precipitates was confirmed by confirming the state of the liquid. Precipitation was not confirmed, and the particles remained dispersible. It was confirmed that there was.

[Evaluation of conductivity]
Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate was added and adjusted so that the concentration of metal (silver) nanoparticles in the liquid was 60%. Then, when it processed for 4 minutes using the rotation revolution type defoaming machine (ARV-3000TWIN made from Shinki Co., Ltd.), the viscosity of the obtained dispersion liquid was 850 dPa * s.

  The obtained dispersion was printed using a gravure offset printing machine (manufactured by Kousyo Co., Ltd., Ekter printing machine Bluff G1 type) to form a pattern. The blanket used was methyl vinyl silicone rubber (Fujikura Rubber Industrial Co., Ltd.), a quartz glass plate was used for the printing plate, and drawing was performed using a heat resistant ceramic substrate. The obtained wiring pattern was fired at 400 ° C. to form a metal wiring.

The width of the fine line obtained after printing had no “print blur” and reproduced the line width of the printing plate. Furthermore, when the conductivity of the silver film was measured by a resistivity meter (Loresta GP, manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Analytech Co., Ltd.) 4 terminal 4 probe method, the resistivity was as low as 2.3 × 10 ⁻⁶ Ω · cm. Indicated. The film thickness was 3.5 μm as measured using a surface roughness meter (Surfcom 1500D manufactured by Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd.).

[Evaluation of bonding]
The following method was used to confirm that this dispersion can also be used for bonding between substances. That is, the dispersion is printed on the bonding surface with a uniform thickness on a copper plate to be bonded by a dispenser coating method. Next, a chip in which silicon-titanium-nickel was sequentially laminated on the opposing bonded body and the outermost layer was plated with silver was mounted, and heated at 400 ° C. for 30 minutes while being pressurized at 10 N perpendicular to the bonding surface. .

  According to the above bonding method, the outermost surface of the metal layer made of silver on the back surface of the semiconductor element and the first surface are formed by carbon contained in the organic compound of the protective agent Y constituting the silver nanoparticles 3 and oxygen contained in the ethylene oxide group. The outermost surfaces of the copper metal plate made of the above metals are oxidized and reduced and bonded together by sintering of the silver nanoparticles. As a result, a joined body in which the chip and the copper metal substrate are joined with silver is completed. The evaluation of the joint strength was performed according to the method described in “Lead-free solder test method, part 5: Tensile and shear test method of solder joint” of JISZ-03918-5: 2003. That is, the calculation is performed by a method in which a die-bonded workpiece is pushed in the horizontal direction and a force is calculated when the joining surface breaks without being able to withstand the pushing force. As a result, it was found that a joining strength almost equal to that of lead solder conventionally used for joining can be obtained.

  Once the bond is formed, the bonded body no longer peels off at the temperature at which it is formed, and can maintain its form up to the vicinity of the melting point of the metal. In the case of the silver exemplified here, since the melting point in the bulk state of silver is maintained up to near 961 ° C., the bonding state can be maintained even with heating about twice the temperature applied at the time of initial formation. It becomes like this.

(Examples 2-3)
Example 1 was repeated with the functional group of the protective agent Y changed. The results of evaluating the obtained results are shown in Table 1. The dispersion stability is expressed as ◯ when the dispersion is maintained for at least about one month, △ when the dispersion has been maintained for one week or more, and expressed as × when the liquid has settled for less than one week. Yes.

Example 4
Using the washed metal (silver) nanoparticles 2 in which a protective layer was formed with the protective agent X in Example 1, polyoxyethylene lauryl ether acetic acid (viewlite LCA-H, ethylene oxide addition mole number 3 to 5 as a dispersant) , Sanyo Chemical Industries Co., Ltd.) was dissolved by adding 1.6 g to 2.0 g of terpineol.

  Next, 10 g of the silver nanoparticles 2 were added and ultrasonic dispersion was performed for 5 minutes while maintaining 40 ° C. When the dispersion was stored at normal temperature and observed, no precipitate was found until one week, but a slight amount of precipitate was observed at the bottom at the second week.

After the viscosity of the dispersion was adjusted to 730 dPa · s, it was printed on a glass substrate with a line having a width of 50 μm by a gravure offset printing method. Baking was performed at 200 ° C., and the printing fine line had no “print blur” and reproduced the line width of the printing plate. When the conductivity was measured with a digital multimeter (Hitester: manufactured by Hioki Electric Co., Ltd.), the specific resistance value was as low as 6.5 × 10 ⁻⁶ Ω · cm.

(Example 5)
In Example 4, Example 4 was repeated except that octyl polyoxyethylene glycol maleic acid was used as the dispersant. Similarly, when the dispersion stability was observed, slight sedimentation was observed at the third week. Moreover, the specific resistance value of the 50 μm 170 ° C. fired thin wire showed a low resistance value of 8.2 × 10 ⁻⁶ Ω · cm.

(Comparative example)
In a comparative example, the dispersion was prepared using C ₁₈ H ₃₅ —O— (CH ₂ —CH ₂ —O) ₈ —H obtained by condensing 8 moles of oleyl alcohol and ethylene oxide to the protective agent Y in Example 1. Formed. The dispersion after substitution had a remarkable dispersibility from the initial stage, and even after ultrasonic dispersion, the silver nanoparticles precipitated at the bottom after one week had passed, and thus could not be used as a dispersion.
In addition, although it implemented as shown in Table 1 also about the comparative examples 2 and 3, neither of the favorable results were obtained compared with the Example.

  From the above, it can be seen that those having ethylene oxide in the skeleton are excellent in dispersibility, and particularly those having alkylene oxide are excellent in dispersibility.

  The dispersion according to the present invention can be suitably used for “printed electronics”, and is currently under investigation, such as a printing CPU, printing illumination, printing tag, all-printing display, sensor, printed wiring board, organic solar cell, It can be used for electronic books, nanoimprint LEDs, liquid crystal / PDP panels, print memories, and the like.

  In addition, junctions can be applied to non-insulated semiconductor devices, bare chip mounting assembly technology, and power devices (rectifier diodes, power transistors, power MOSFETs, insulated gate bipolar transistors, thyristors, gate turn-off silis, triacs). It is.

A dispersion (nonpolar medium)
B Solvent C with higher solubility of protective agent X than A C Dispersion (polar medium)
X Surfactant attached at the beginning of synthesis Y Surfactant 1 after substitution Metal nanoparticle 2 without attached surfactant 2 Metal nanoparticle at the beginning of synthesis (consisting of surfactant X and metal nanoparticle 1)
3 Metal nanoparticles after substitution (consisting of surfactant Y and metal nanoparticles 1)

Claims (12)

  Metal nanoparticles having a property of dispersing in a polar solvent and having a surface coated with a protective agent composed of an organic compound having a polyalkylene oxide group and a carboxyl group.   The metal nanoparticle according to claim 1, wherein the number of carbon atoms in the alkylene part of the polyalkylene oxide group is 2 to 4, and the number of added moles of the polyalkylene oxide is 2 to 30.   The metal nanoparticle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the organic compound having a polyalkylene oxide group has at least one unsaturated bond.   The metal nanoparticle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the organic compound having a polyalkylene oxide group has an alkoxypolyoxyethylene glycol maleate as a main skeleton.   The metal nanoparticle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the metal constituting the metal nanoparticle is gold, silver, copper, or nickel.   The metal nanoparticles according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the number average particle diameter of the primary particles of the metal particles is less than 50 nm.   An agglomerate in which at least two or more of the metal nanoparticles according to claim 1 are present in an aggregated state.   A metal nanoparticle dispersion in which the metal nanoparticles according to any one of claims 1 to 6 are dispersed in a polar solvent.   The metal nanoparticle dispersion according to claim 8, wherein the polar solvent is diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate.   A conductive circuit formed by drawing the metal nanoparticle dispersion according to claim 8 or 9 using a printing method.   A joined body that is metallized and joined by heating the metal nanoparticle dispersion according to claim 8.   A dispersant having a property of dispersing metal particles in a solvent having polarity and comprising an organic compound having a polyalkylene oxide group and a carboxyl group.

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