Flexible conductive ink

1. A flexible conductive ink composition comprising

(A) a resinous binder, in an amount of from 2 to 60 wt. %, based on the weight of the dry composition, the resins of said binder being thermoplastic resins selected from the group consisting of phenoxy resins, polyesters, and thermoplastic urethane;

(B) silver-plated core conductive particles smaller than 1.0 m 2 /g, and

(C) conductive particles having a surface area of at least 1.0 m 2 /g and a particle size of 1 to 100 μm,

wherein silver-plated core conductive particles (B) are present in an amount from 30 to 92 wt % of the total dry composition, and conductive particles having a specific surface area at least 1.0 m2/g (C) are present in an amount from 3 to 60 wt % of the total dry composition, and wherein the flexibility of the ink composition is higher than the flexibility of the composition without (C) conductive particles,

and wherein the composition does not comprise a curing agent for the resin binder.

2. The flexible conductive ink composition according to claim 1 in which the resin binder is a phenoxy resin.

3. The flexible conductive ink composition according to claim 1 in which the core of the silver-plated core conductive particles is selected from the group consisting of copper, nickel, palladium, carbon black, carbon fiber, graphite, aluminum, indium tin oxide, glass, polymer, antimony doped tin oxide, silica, alumina, fiber, and clay.

4. The flexible conductive ink composition according to claim 1 in which the core of the silver-plated core conductive particles is copper.

5. The flexible conductive ink composition according to claim 1 in which conductive particles having a surface area at least 1.0 m 2 /g are selected from the group consisting of silver, gold, palladium, platinum, carbon black, carbon fiber, graphite, indium tin oxide, silver-plated nickel, silver-plated copper, silver-plated graphite, silver-plated aluminum, silver-plated fiber, silver-plated glass, silver-plated polymer, and antimony-doped tin oxide.

6. The flexible conductive ink composition according to claim 1 in which conductive particles having a surface area at least 1.0 m 2 /g are metal-coated core particles.

7. The flexible conductive ink composition according to claim 1 further comprising a solvent.

8. The flexible conductive ink composition according to claim 7 in which the solvent is selected from the group consisting of butyl glycol acetate, 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether, p-tert-butyl-phenyl glycidyl ether, allyl glycidyl ether, glycerol diglycidyl ether, butyldiglycol, 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)-ethylester, acetic acid, 2-butoxyethylester, butylglycol, 2-butoxyethanol, isophorone, 3,3,5 trimethyl-2-cyclohexene-1-one, dimethylsuccinate, dimethylglutarate, dimethyladipate, acetic acid, dipropylene glycol (mono)methyl ether, propylacetate, glycidyl ether of alkyl phenol, and dimethyl esters of adipic, glutaric, and succinic acids.

9. The flexible conductive ink composition according to claim 7 in which the solvent has a flash point above 70° C.

10. The flexible conductive ink composition according to claim 9 in which the solvent is selected from the group consisting of butyl glycol acetate, carbitol acetate, glycol ether, the dimethyl esters of adipic, glutaric, and succinic acids, and ethyl glycol.

11. The flexible conductive ink composition according to claim 10 in which the solvent is selected from the group consisting of butyl glycol acetate and the dimethyl esters of adipic, glutaric, and succinic acids.

12. A process for making an electronic device with the conductive composition of claim 1 comprising applying the conductive composition onto a substrate to form conductive traces or electronic circuitry, and curing and/or drying said conductive composition at about 90° C. to 180° C. for 5 to 60 minutes.