Advanced Materials: from Nanoparticles to High-Performance Devices

Elephantech’s technology begins with copper nanoparticle ink, the first material developed by the company and still is its fundamental asset. Through continuous R&D, Elephantech has established an integrated materials development framework encompassing nanopastes, conductive inks, primers and the advanced analytical technologies that support them. Together, they form the foundation of Elephantech’s proprietary electronics manufacturing process, enabling scalable, sustainable and high-precision production.

Nanomaterial Development

Elephantech integrates proprietary nanoparticle engineering and cutting-edge self-assembly control to fundamentally enhance the performance of advanced electronics materials.

Nanoparticle Engineering

Highly controlled copper nanoparticles with an average particle size of ~15 nm (D50 = 13.4 nm) are developed with a narrow size distribution. This uniformity eliminates the need for classification processes, enhancing manufacturing efficiency and material stability.

Self-Assembling Copper Nanoparticle Technology

A proprietary HDMS (High Density Small Molecule) surface treatment forms a high-density ligand layer (~6 molecules/nm²) on each nanoparticle. This surface engineering plays a critical role in controlling inter-particle interactions, providing the foundation for stable dispersion and enabling controlled self-assembly.

Building on the surface design, nanoparticles selectively and uniformly assemble onto target surfaces through a precisely balanced interplay of inter-particle repulsive and attractive forces.

This Self-Assembling Copper Nanoparticles (SA-CuNP) functionality provides greater flexibility in material design, particularly for sintering and viscosity control:
– Higher metal loading
– Improved sinterability, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity
– Reduced gas generation and residue during curing
– Low-temperature sintering with improved adhesion and thermal stability

Powered by these technologies, the material supports multiple formats, represented by inks and pastes, broadening the design and manufacturing possibilities for electronics.

Copper Nanoink: Core for Additive Circuit Creation

As a direct application of the copper nanofiller, Elephantech’s copper nanoink marks a key constitute of its SustainaCircuits® process, the disruptive additive manufacturing method for conductive seed-layer formation via inkjet printing.

The characteristics of the ink impact every step of the production chain: from storage, printing, and sintering to final circuit trace. Its stability, particle size, solvent volatility, sinterability and adhesion to the substrate collectively determine conductivity, reliability and yield throughout the process.

Elephantech’s copper nanoink delivers industry-leading stability and processability, enabling both simplified manufacturing operations and consistently high-quality circuit traces.

Primer Technology: Dramatically Enhances Productivity

Complementing the nano ink, Elephantech’s uniquely formulated epoxy-based primer plays a crucial role in achieving reliable, fine-line circuitry through 3 mechanisms:

- Enhanced adhesion: The primer forms a strong physical bond between the ink and the base material, improving adhesion strength.
- Cross-material compatibility: With high affinity for the ink, the primer ensures smooth trace formation across diverse substrates from flexible films to rigid boards and glass.
- Droplet control: During the inkjet printing process, the pre-coated primer stabilizes droplet landing behavior, enabling precise, fine wiring patterns.

Material Analysis Technology That Ensures Quality Development

Advanced material innovation relies on deep analytical insight at the nano scale. From the early stage of research, Elephantech employs comprehensive analytical techniques to understand molecular behavior and root causes beneath the mysterious phenomenon of material science.

The findings serve as the foundation for the company to design particles with properties tailored for reliable electronics manufacturing.