Batch fabrication of submicrometric silver particles and scaleup of the chemical precipitation method for the industrial production of silver powders for automotive applications

• Grant number: 22/02223-6
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: September 01, 2022
• End date: August 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Érico Teixeira Neto
• Grantee: Érico Teixeira Neto
• Company: Metaura Prestação de Serviços de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Ltda
• CNAE: Pesquisa e desenvolvimento experimental em ciências físicas e naturais
• City: São Paulo
• Associated research grant: 19/16541-7 - Batch fabrication of submicrometric silver particles and scaleup of the chemical precipitation method for the industrial production of silver powders for automotive applications, AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/13703-1 - Silver Powder Performance - Formulation of Silver Pastes and Conducting Performance Testing for Automotive Application, BP.TT; 22/15069-5 - Performance of silver powders - Formulation of silver pastes and conducting performance tests for automotive application., BP.TT; 22/13951-2 - Silver Powder Manufacturing - Colloidal synthesis of silver particles, processing and manufacturing of metallic powders for automotive application., BP.TT

Abstract

During the Phase 2 of this project, Metaura intend to improve the fabrication method proposed and adapted in the Phase 1. We want to obtain silver powders with structural characteristics that are suited for the fabrication of electrical conductors sintered on glass. These conductors are used as rear window demister in the automotive industry. Powders obtained during Phase 1 are formed by irregularly shaped aggregates of silver particles, which do not densely pack to form the sintered conductors, resulting in conductor with suboptimal electrical performance. Silver powder performance will be evaluated in its final application, by the determination of the resistivity of glass sintered silver conductors test samples. A commercial silver powder will be used as benchmark for the project development. Serigraphy is the standard method used by the automotive industry to deposit silver particles pastes on glass. Silver pastes will be formulated with rheological properties that are ideal for serigraphic printing. Granulometric distribution of silver particles, within the formulated silver pastes, will be another performance parameter for the evaluation of the powders. These performance parameters will be confronted and analyzed with microscopic structural characteristics of the individual powder particles. The powder synthesis method will be investigated in detail at laboratory scale (nominal 127 g silver powder batches) to adjust the powder structural characteristics, allowing the fabrication of silver powders with advantageous cost and quality, as compared to the benchmark. Investigating reaction process parameters, we will scientifically advance on the problem of the fabrication of individual, non-aggregated, submicrometric particles. Powder synthesis scaleups, for the kilograms scale, will be carried out for the verification of the robustness of the method, developing the knowledge for future industrial scaleups, of tens of kilograms. With this effort, we are developing a world class technology for the fabrication of silver powders, fulfilling the technological demands of our client in the exploration of the automotive industry market. (AU)