Methods for forming and using silver metal

1. A method for providing electrically-conductive silver metal in a product article without electrochemical plating, comprising:

providing a photosensitive thin film or a photosensitive thin film pattern on a substrate, the photosensitive thin film or photosensitive thin film pattern comprising:

a) a non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex comprising a reducible silver ion complexed with an α-oxy carboxylate and a 5- or 6-membered N-heteroaromatic compound,

the non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex being represented by the following formula (I):

(Ag ÷ ) a (L) b (P) c    (I)

wherein L represents the α-oxy carboxylate wherein the α-carbon atom attached directly to the carboxyl group has a hydroxyl, oxy, or oxyalkyl substituent group; P represents the 5- or 6-membered N-heteroaromatic compound; a is 1 or 2; b is 1 or 2; and c is 1, 2, 3, or 4, provided that when a is 1, b is 1, and when a is 2, b is 2; and

b) optionally, a photosensitizer that can either reduce the reducible silver ion or oxidize the α-oxy carboxylate; and

photochemically converting reducible silver ions in the photosensitive thin film or photosensitive thin film pattern to electrically-conductive silver metal by irradiation of the photosensitive thin film or photosensitive thin film pattern with electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength within the range of at least 150 nm and up to and including 700 nm, to provide a product article having an electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern on the substrate without electrochemical plating.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article has a resistivity of less than 500 ohms/□.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein

after photochemically converting the reducible silver ions to electrically-conductive silver metal, contacting the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article with water or an aqueous or non-aqueous salt solution, and

optionally, drying the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein

after photochemically converting the reducible silver ions to electrically-conductive silver metal, contacting the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article with an aqueous or non-aqueous non-salt solution, and

optionally, drying the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein

after photochemically converting the reducible silver ions to electrically-conductive silver metal, contacting the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article with an aqueous or non-aqueous salt solution,

contacting the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article with water or an aqueous or non-aqueous non-salt solution, and

optionally, drying the electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film pattern in the product article.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a continuous polyester web.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing the photosensitive thin film pattern using flexographic printing or inkjet printing.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complexes are present in the photosensitive thin film or photosensitive thin film pattern in an amount of at least 96 weight % and up to and including 99.5 weight % based on the total weight of the photosensitive thin film or photosensitive thin film pattern; and the photosensitizer is present in an amount of at least 0.5 weight % and up to and including 4 weight %, based on the total weight of the one or more non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complexes.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein L is represented by the following formula (II):

wherein R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are independently hydrogen or branched or linear alkyl groups.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein R 1 is hydrogen or a branched or linear alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and R 2 and R 3 are independently branched or linear alkyl groups having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, wherein any of the hydrogen atoms in the R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 branched or linear alkyl groups optionally can be replaced with a fluorine atom.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein L is represented by the following formula (III):

wherein R 4 is a branched or linear alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms and any of the hydrogen atoms in the R 4 branched or linear alkyl group optionally can be replaced with a fluorine atom.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the 5- or 6-membered N-heteroaromatic compound has an oxidation potential of at least 1.0 V vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE); the α-oxy carboxylate has a first oxidation potential of at least 1.2 V vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE); and upon decarboxylation of the α-oxy carboxylate, a second radical is generated that has an oxidation potential of less than 1.0 V vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE).

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein L is selected from the group consisting of lactic acid, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-3,3-dimethylbutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-isobutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-2-methylbutyric acid, 2-ethyl-2-hydroxybutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-2,3-dimethylbutyric acid, 2-ethyl-2-methoxybutyric acid, 2-methoxy-2-methylpropanoic acid, 1-hydroxycyclopentane-1-carboxylic acid, 2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dimethylsuccinic acid, 2,4-dihydroxy-2,4-dimethylpentanedioic acid, pyruvic acid, 3-methylpyruvic acid, 3,3-dimethylpyruvic acid, 3,3-dimethyl-2-oxobutanoic acid, 3,3-dimethyl-2-oxopentanoic acid, and 2,3-dioxosuccinic acid, and mixtures thereof.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex is a silver lactate 2,6-dimethylpyridine complex, a silver lactate 2,4,6-trimethylpyridine complex, a silver lactate 3-chloropyridine complex, a silver 2-hydroxyisobutyrate pyridine complex, a silver 2-hydroxyisobutyrate 2,6-dimethylpyridine complex, a silver 2-ethyl-2-hydroxybutyrate pyridine complex, a silver 2-hydroxyisobutyrate oxazole complex, a silver lactate 3-fluoropyridine complex, a silver 2-hydroxyisobutyrate 3-fluoropyridine complex, a silver 2-hydroxyisobutyrate 2-methylpyrimidine complex, a silver 2-methoxyisobutyrate pyridine complex, a silver pyruvate pyridine complex, a silver 3-methyl-2-oxobutanate pyridine complex, or a silver lactate 4-methylpyrimidine complex.

15. A method for providing two or more electrically-conductive silver metal patterns in a product article without electrochemical plating, the method comprising:

providing a continuous substrate having a first supporting side and a second opposing supporting side,

providing two or more photosensitive thin film patterns on two or more respective portions on the first supporting side of the continuous substrate, each of the two or more photosensitive thin film patterns comprising:

a) a non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex comprising a reducible silver ion complexed with an α-oxy carboxylate and a 5- or 6-membered N-heteroaromatic compound,

the non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex being represented by the following formula (I):

(Ag ÷ ) a (L) b (P) c    (I)

wherein L represents the α-oxy carboxylate wherein the α-carbon atom attached directly to the carboxyl group has a hydroxyl, oxy, or oxyalkyl substituent group; P represents the 5- or 6-membered N-heteroaromatic compound; a is 1 or 2; b is 1 or 2; and c is 1, 2, 3, or 4, provided that when a is 1, b is 1, and when a is 2, b is 2; and

b) a photosensitizer that can either reduce the reducible silver ion or oxidize the α-oxy carboxylate having a reduction potential;

photochemically converting reducible silver ions in each of the two or more photosensitive thin film patterns on the first supporting side of the continuous substrate to provide correspondingly two or more electrically-conductive silver metal-containing patterns on the first supporting side of the continuous substrate in a product article without electrochemical plating;

contacting each of the two or more electrically-conductive silver metal-containing patterns in the product article with water or an aqueous or non-aqueous salt solution;

optionally, contacting each of the two or more electrically-conductive silver metal-containing patterns in the product article with an aqueous or non-aqueous non-salt solution; and

optionally, drying each of the two or more electrically-conductive silver metal-containing patterns in the product article.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

providing two or more opposing photosensitive thin film patterns on two or more respective portions on the second opposing supporting side of the continuous substrate in the product article, each of the two or more opposing photosensitive thin film patterns comprising:

a) the non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex; and

b) the photosensitizer;

photochemically converting reducible silver ions in each of the two or more opposing photosensitive thin film patterns to provide two or more opposing electrically-conductive silver metal-containing patterns on the second opposing supporting side of the continuous substrate in the product article;

contacting each of the two or more opposing electrically-conductive silver metal-containing patterns in the product article with water or an aqueous or non-aqueous salt solution;

optionally, contacting each of the two or more opposing electrically-conductive silver metal-containing patterns in the product article with an aqueous or non-aqueous non-salt solution; and

optionally, drying each of the two or more opposing electrically-conductive silver metal-containing patterns in the product article.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the continuous substrate is composed of a polyester.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein all of the photosensitive thin film patterns on both the first supporting side and the second opposing supporting side of the continuous substrate, are provided using same or different flexographic printing members.

19. The method of claim 15 , comprising contacting each of the two or more electrically-conductive silver metal-containing patterns in the product article with water or an aqueous salt solution, optionally followed by contacting each of the two or more electrically-conductive silver metal-containing patterns in the product article with an aqueous non-salt solution.

20. The method of claim 15 , comprising contacting each of the two or more electrically-conductive silver metal-containing patterns in the product article with a non-aqueous salt solution, optionally followed by contacting each of the two or more electrically-conductive silver metal-containing patterns in the product article with a non-aqueous non-salt solution.