Liquid deposition composition and process for forming metal therefrom
A process for depositing a metal includes disposing a liquid deposition composition on a substrate, the liquid deposition composition including a metal cation; a reducing anion; and a solvent; evaporating the solvent; increasing a concentration of the reducing anion increases in the liquid deposition composition due to evaporating the solvent; performing an oxidation-reduction reaction between the metal cation and the reducing anion in response to increasing the concentration of the reducing anion when the reducing anion is present at a critical concentration; and forming a metal from the metal cation to deposit the metal on the substrate.
1. A process for depositing a metal, the process comprising:
disposing a liquid deposition composition on a substrate, the liquid deposition composition comprising:
a metal cation;
a reducing anion; and
a solvent;
evaporating the solvent;
increasing a concentration of the reducing anion in the liquid deposition composition due to evaporating the solvent;
performing an oxidation-reduction reaction between the metal cation and the reducing anion in response to increasing the concentration of the reducing anion when the reducing anion is present at a critical concentration;
forming a metal from the metal cation to deposit the metal on the substrate; and
disposing a secondary liquid deposition composition on the substrate,
wherein the secondary liquid deposition composition comprises:
a secondary metal cation different than the metal cation in the liquid deposition composition; and
a secondary reducing anion,
wherein the secondary metal cation is reduced by the secondary reducing anion to a secondary metal, the secondary metal being different than the metal formed from the metal cation in the liquid deposition composition, and
wherein the metal comprises a first alloy, and the secondary metal comprises a second alloy that is different than the first alloy.
2. The process of claim 1 , further comprising disposing an activating catalyst on the substrate.
3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the liquid deposition composition further comprises an activating catalyst.
4. The process of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting a viscosity of the liquid deposition composition.
5. The process of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting a surface tension of the liquid deposition composition.
6. The process of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting a vapor pressure of the solvent.
7. The process of claim 1 , further comprising sintering the metal disposed on substrate.
8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the secondary liquid deposition composition is disposed in a different location on the substrate than the liquid deposition composition.
9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the secondary liquid deposition composition is disposed in contact with the liquid deposition composition on the substrate.
10. The process of claim 9 , wherein the liquid deposition composition is interposed between the secondary liquid deposition composition and the substrate.
11. The process of claim 1 , further comprising removing the substrate from the metal.
12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the secondary liquid deposition composition further comprises a secondary activating catalyst.
13. The process of claim 1 , further comprising removing a residue formed from the reducing anion from the substrate.
14. The process of claim 13 , wherein removing the residue comprises volatilizing the residue.
15. The process of claim 1 , wherein disposing the liquid deposition composition on the substrate comprises printing the liquid deposition composition in a selected pattern on the substrate.
16. The process of claim 1 , wherein printing the liquid deposition composition comprises forming an electrical circuit member on the substrate.
17. The process of claim 1 , wherein the metal comprises a pure metal, alloy, or plurality of metals.