A Composite of Polyether Ether Ketone and Silica-Coated Copper Particles for Creating Tailored Conductive Tracks via Laser Printing

authored by

Alexander Schnettger, Ulrich Holländer, Hans J. Maier

Abstract

Conventional substrates for optoelectronic systems include inorganic or organic carrier materials; however, these systems are typically subjected to environmentally harmful multistep processes to prepare printed circuit boards. To mitigate these issues, the present article reports a polyether ether ketone (PEEK)-based composite densely filled with copper microparticles, prepared using a simple, cost-effective, and sustainable synthesis method. The material exhibits high thermal conductivity but is electrically nonconductive prior to undergoing laser treatment. To prevent the composite from exhibiting electrical conductivity, the copper particles are coated with a thin silica layer through a sol–gel reaction. The thermal stability of PEEK and the Cu–PEEK composites with Cu contents of up to 70 vol%, which are prepared via heat melding, is investigated by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to clarify the manner in which copper affects the chemical structure of the polymer. The developed composite exhibits a significantly higher thermal conductivity than that of the unfilled PEEK polymer. This paper also describes the effects of laser treatment on the surface morphology. Overall, this study suggests that conductive tracks with low electrical resistance can be created on electrically insulating substrates with high thermal conductivity.

Organisation(s)

PhoenixD: Photonics, Optics, and Engineering - Innovation Across Disciplines
Institute of Materials Science

Type

Article

Journal

Macromolecular Materials and Engineering

Volume

309

ISSN

1438-7492

Publication date

15.02.2024

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Chemical Engineering(all), Polymers and Plastics, Organic Chemistry, Materials Chemistry

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202300264 (Access: Open)