Preparation of gold-decorated silver nanowires for improving conductivity of electrically conductive adhesives

Excellent electrical conductivity generally conflicts with high lap shear strength for electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs). One-dimensional silver nanowires (AgNWs) as conductive fillers can effectively solve the problem. However, insulating ligands on the nanowires will form a large contact resistance between the nanowires and limit the electrical conductivity of ECAs. In this work, we reported a one-step method to prepare Au-decorated AgNW conductive fillers. Through controlling the filler content, curing temperature, and curing time, the ECAs filled with Au-decorated AgNWs obtained exceptional electrical performance. When the filler content was 39 wt%, the resistivity reached to 7.8 × 10⁻⁵ Ω cm, which had a strong competitiveness to tin–lead solder. Therefore, the feature opens up possibilities for ECAs filled with the hybrid nanofiller to completely replace traditional solder.