Novel Printed Fuse-link Based On The Control Of Percolation Conductivity In Electrically Conductive Composites

Nano-sized metallic materials have long been studied for their low-temperature sintering behavior,which can render excellent electric/thermal interconnection applications under mild conditions.However,the fuse blowing property of metallic nanostructures by excessive sintering has rarely been explored,not even been considered for electronic device applications.Herein,we have synthesized several micro-/nano-silver products with 3-D radial configuration by liquid phase reducing method at ambient temperature,including silver micro-dendrites,submicron silver flowers and silver nano-sponges.And then,we systematically investigate the long-neglected low-temperature fusing behavior of these silver structures and demonstrate the feasibility of employing this intriguing property for the printed electronics application,i.e.printed fuse-link,which has experienced insignificant changes since they were invented in 1890's.By introducing the silver micro-dendrites based electrically conductive composites(ECCs)as the printed fusible element,coupled with the state-of-the-art printed electronics technology,key performance characteristics of a fuse-link are dramatically improved as compared with the commercially-available counterparts,including expedient fabrication process,lower-available rated current(40%of the minimum value of Littelfuse 467 series fuses),shorter response time(only 3.35%of the Littelfuse2920L030 at 1.5 times of the rated current),milder surface temperature rise(16.89 ~oC lower than FGMB)and voltage drop(only 24.26%of FGMB)in normal operation,easier to mass-produce and more flexible in product design etc.In this manuscript,by combining the superior low temperature fusing cut-off characteristic of silver micro-dendrites,we developed printable fuse-link,which shows a series of prominent performance characteristics,e.g.small form factor,wide-range adjustable fusing current,rapid response speed,and excellent reliability etc.Besides,we have prototyped three kinds of fuses,which show superior functionality than the commercial-available counterparts.They are:i)the miniaturized wiring-type fuse-link(MWF),which has an ultra-low fusing current and can cater to the future higher-integration and lower-dissipation circuits;ii)the thin gasket-type fuse-link(TGF),which is aimed for providing safety issue solutions of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs),and iii)the deformable and reworkable silicone grease-based fuse-link(SGF),which can be used in stretchable and self-healable electronic devices.These high-performance printed fuses,based on low-temperature fusible ECCs,show great potential in addressing some critical challenges in future electric and electronic protection,and may shed light on the development of other isolated components.