Low temperature fabrication of Ni–P metallic patterns on ITO substrates utilizing inkjet printing

A low temperature process to fabricate high resolution metallic lines on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates using inkjet printing and subsequent electroless plating is described in this study. In this method, a thermo-sensitive (styrene-co-NIPAAm)/Pd (St-co-NIPAAm/Pd) nanoparticle-based ink was printed onto ITO substrates to create patterned catalytic sites, where nickel is subsequently deposited by electroless plating to form metal lines with desired width and conductivity. The inkjet printing variables such as droplet spacing and printing voltage, as well as the Ni electroless deposition variables such as deposition time and temperature were systematically investigated to obtain the optimum parameters. The adhesion of the deposited Ni–P coating to the ITO substrate was evaluated by a scotch tape test method. Optical microscope observation shows that a continuous pattern was formed with a printing voltage of 37 V and a droplet spacing of 50 μm. The irritating coffee ring effect was significantly suppressed by raising the substrate temperature to 50 °C and increasing the electroless plating temperature to 75 °C. High-resolution conductive metal lines can be easily and successfully fabricated using our method, which shows good potential for preparing the metallic lines as front or back electrodes in solar cells.

► A low temperature process to fabricate high resolution metallic lines on ITO substrates.
► A combination of inkjet printing and Ni–P electroless plating for metallizing patterns.
► The metallic lines as back electrodes in the solar cells.