Hansen Solubility Parameter Analysis on Dispersion of Oleylamine-Capped Silver Nanoinks and their Sintered Film Morphology

Abstract

Optimizing stabilizers and solvents is crucial for obtaining highly dispersed nanoparticle inks. Generally, nonpolar (hydrophobic) ligand-stabilized nanoparticles show superior dispersibility in nonpolar solvents, whereas polar ligand (hydrophilic)-stabilized nanoparticles exhibit high dispersibility in polar solvents. However, these properties are too qualitative to select optimum stabilizers and solvents for stable nanoparticle inks, and researchers often rely on their experiences. This study presents a Hansen solubility parameter (HSP)-based analysis of the dispersibility of oleylamine-capped silver nanoparticle (OAm-Ag NP) inks for optimizing ink preparation. We determined the HSP sphere of the OAm-Ag NPs, defined as the center coordinate, and the interaction radius in 3D HSP space. The solvent’s HSP inside the HSP sphere causes high dispersibility of the OAm-Ag NPs in the solvent. In contrast, the HSPs outside the sphere resulted in low dispersibility in the solvent. Thus, we can quantitatively predict the dispersibility of the OAm-Ag NPs in a given solvent using the HSP approach. Moreover, the HSP sphere method can establish a correlation between the dispersibility of the particles in inks and the sintered film morphology, facilitating electronic application of the nanoparticle inks. The HSP method is also helpful for optimizing stabilizers and solvents for stable nanoparticle inks in printed electronics.

Optimization of Hydrothermal Synthesis of Nickel Oxide with Flower-Like Structure

“…Particle dispersion in solvents is predicted by the Hansen solubility parameters (HSP) (Table 2), which describe the liquid cohesion property as [24]:…”

“…where is the total cohesion energy of the solvent; and , , and are the dispersive polar and hydrogen-bonding solubility parameters, respectively. A smaller value is expected to result in stronger dispersibility [24]. Good dispersibility is necessary to obtain uniform particles.…”

A Quantitative Approach to Characterize the Surface Modification on Nanoparticles Based on Localized Dielectric Environments

“…NPs modified with a nonpolar ligand exhibit superior dispersibility in nonpolar solvents (e.g., toluene and n -hexane). − Owing to chemisorbed organic modifiers on NPs, the dispersibility of NPs could be drastically altered. , By using such surface-modified NPs, polymer nanocomposites with better NP dispersibility have been developed. Particularly in the field of electronics, a higher dispersibility of nanofillers (e.g., barium titanate (BaTiO 3 )) is required to improve the electrochemical performance and transparency of nanocomposites. − On the other hand, some organically modified NPs are less dispersible in polar organic solvents such as DMSO, acetone, etc. , Possible approaches to tune the dispersibility of NPs in solvents, via surface modification, are (1) a combined use of modifiers and (2) a quantitative control of the ratio of modifier to surface silanol group .…”

A New Method for Calculating the Hamaker Constant Based on the Hansen Solubility Parameters for Non-Polar Liquids

“…For the case of surface-modified zinc oxide and aluminum oxide particles, this approach clears subtle distinctions in particle surfaces. Saita et al [13] reported that optimizing stabilizers and solvents is crucial for nanoparticle inks. They used the Hansen solubility parameters for oleylamine-capped silver nanoparticles and found that the Hansen solubility parameter approach quantitatively predicts the dispersibility of these nanoparticles, correlating with the sintered film morphology for electronic applications.…”