Lockheed Martin Corporation (Bethesda, MD)
What is a Patent for Stabilized metal nanoparticles and methods for the production of them
Search Patent for Stabilized metal nanoparticles and methods for the production of them
While lead was historically used in many industrial applications, recent regulations require the phase out of lead in most commercial products. For instance the European Union issued regulations in 2006 that mandated theelimination of lead from coatings and solders in the majority of electronic components. Other countries have issued similar regulations.
Electronics and other connections made using lead-based soldering material are usually extremely reliable and substantial investment has been made in the manufacturing infrastructure. The worldwide phase out soldering products based on lead has raised serious concerns regarding the quality of other soldering materials and methods. There are numerous options for conventional lead-based soldering substances and the Sn/Ag/Cu method (SAC) being among the most popular. But, these substitutes are not without drawbacks, which make them unsuitable for environments with extreme temperatures such as those used in military vehicles, vehicles and space vehicles. The SAC system is much highereutectic melting temperature (e.g., M.P. of .about.217.degree. C.) is higher than traditional Sn/Pb solder (m.p. C. for 183.degree. C. for Sn/Pb of 63/37 (or 188.degree. C. for 63/37 Sn/Pb , or 188.degree. In addition silver is an expensive component of the SAC system and there is not enough silver production capacity to completely replace lead-based soldering material in the SAC system. The SAC system may lead to higher production costs. It is because of the increased price of silver as well as the need for more robust components to withstand the higher temperatures. More importantly, SAC systems areprone to development of tin whiskers leading to a higher risk of electrical shorting.
As replacements for traditional soldering made from lead, various compositions that contain metal nanoparticles were suggested. Nanoparticles can exhibit chemical and physical properties that sometimes differ significantly from thoseobserved in the bulk material. For instance metal nanoparticles with a size of less than 20 nanometers may display a fusion rate that is significantly below the melting temperature of bulk metal. Copper nanoparticles, specifically are able to have a fusion temperature comparable to that of traditional soldering products made from lead. If the copper nanoparticles are 10 nm or less and are a small size, they could have a fusion temperature of approximately 200.degree. C. or less, providing processing temperatures that are comparable to lead-based traditional soldering materials. Copper nanoparticles could also be considered as replacements for high temperature soldering materials like AuSn, as they offer a low fusion temperature and a significantly more reflowing temperature later on.
Nanoparticles of copper are a popular choice because of their compatibility with existing soldering techniques. However, it’s still challenging to make monodisperse copper particles at the bulk scales necessary for commercial production. It can be difficult to protect copper nanoparticles from the aggregation process. Protection can sometimes be accomplished with a thin oxide coating or a surfactant, includingpolymers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, but oftentimes these agents cannot be effectively removed in order that the copper nanoparticles can function as desired in soldering applications. Furthermore, these substances could introduce contaminants or be considered contaminants that detrimentally alter the properties of the copper nanoparticles. The properties that are affected could include, for instance, thermal and electrical conductivity and mechanical strength, brittleness and fracturetoughness.
Given all of this, it would be of great benefit to the science of process that can be scaled for the production of monodisperse metal particles especially copper nanoparticles with the size of 10nm or less. This invention addresses this need and also offers benefits.
The processes that are described in this invention involve the reaction of an insoluble salt of metal with reducing agents in a reaction mixture that contains a first surfactant and another surfactant. These reactions may be used to make metalnanoparticles. The first surfactant is comprised of a primary amine. The second one contains a secondary amine. The third surfactant is diamine-chelating agents.
Other embodiments include the following creating a solution comprising copper salt, a first suprafactant, and a second and a 3rd surfactant, permitting the formation of an insoluble copper salt compound in the initial solution; combining the second solution that contains the reducing agent along with the insoluble complex to form an reaction mixture, and creating copper nanoparticles using the insoluble compound. The first surfactant is a primaryamine. The second surfactant has a secondary amine. The third surfactant includes a diamine-chelating agent.
In certain instances the copper nanoparticles created by the processes described herein have a the temperature of fusion of 200.degree. C. or less and comprise at least a portion of a first surfactant another surfactant, and an additional surfactant. The first surfactant is composed of the primary amine. The second surfactant has another amine. The third surfactant includes a diamine-chelating agent.
The above description has described rather in general terms the main features of the disclosed disclosure to ensure that the more detailed description that follows will be more easily understood. Additional advantages and features of this disclosure will be explained in the following paragraphs, which form the basis of the claims.
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