A high-sensitivity printed antenna prepared by rapid low-temperature sintering of silver ink

Abstract

The recent trend toward the Internet of Things (IoT) has increased the importance of technologies for the mass production of high-sensitivity flexible antennas for efficient wireless communication. Here, we describe the rapid low-temperature fabrication of high-sensitivity flexible antennas based on hot-water sintering of silver (Ag) precursor-based ink. Ag precursor-based ink was printed on various flexible substrates such as plastic films and cellulose nanofiber paper, followed by pre-drying the ink solvent and then treatment at 80 °C and 95% relative humidity for 2 min. The resulting printed Ag lines achieved a volume resistivity of approximately 6 μΩ cm, providing excellent sensitivity as dipole antennas for wireless communication. This technique enables the mass production of printed high-sensitivity antennas, which will likely be required for a future IoT society.