Flexible
copper conductors have been extensively utilized in flexible
and wearable electronics. They can be fabricated by using a variety
of patterning techniques such as vacuum deposition, photolithography,
and various printing techniques. However, vacuum deposition and photolithography
are
costly and result in material wastage. Moreover, traditional printing
inks require posttreatment, which can damage flexible substrates,
or grafting polymers, which involve complex processes to adhere to
flexible substrates. Therefore, this study proposes a facile method
of fabricating flexible metal patterns with high electrical conductivities
and remarkable bonding forces on a diverse range of flexible substrates.
Catalytic ink was prepared by using a mixture of epoxy resin, copper
nanopowder, and nanosilica. The ink was applied to a variety of flexible
substrates, including a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film, polyimide
film, and filter paper, using screen printing to establish a bridge
layer for subsequent electroless deposition (ELD). The catalytic efficiency
was significantly improved by treating the cured ink patterns with
air plasma. The fabricated flexible metals exhibited excellent adhesion
and desirable electrical conductivity. The sheet resistance of the
copper layer on the PET substrate decreased to 9.2 mΩ/□
after 150 min of ELD. The resistance of the flexible metal on the
PET substrate increased by only 3.125% after 5000 bending cycles.
The flexible metals prepared in this study demonstrated good foldability,
and the samples with filter paper and PET substrates failed after
40 and 70 folds, respectively. A pressure sensor with a bottom electrode
consisting of a copper interdigital electrode on a PET substrate displayed
favorable sensing performance.