ARTICLES HAVING SILVER ION a-OXY CARBOXYLATE OXIME COMPLEXES

Abstract

A precursor article has a substrate and a photosensitive thin film or a photosensitive thin film pattern on a supporting side. The photosensitive thin film and each photosensitive thin film patterns comprises a non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex that is represented by the following formula (I): (Ag + ) a (L) b (P) c   (I) wherein L represents an α-oxy carboxylate; P represents an oxime compound; a is 1 or 2; b is 1 or 2; and c is 1, 2, 3, or 4, provided that when a is 1, b is 1, and when a is 2, b is 2. A photosensitizer that can either reduce the reducible silver ion or oxidize the α-oxy carboxylate having a reduction potential can also be present. Such precursor articles can be irradiated with UV-visible radiation to reduce the silver ions to provide electrically-conductive metallic silver in thin films or thin film patterns in product articles or devices.

1 . A precursor article comprising a substrate having a first supporting side and a second opposing supporting side, and having on at least the first supporting side,
 a photosensitive thin film or one or more photosensitive thin film patterns, the photosensitive thin film or each of the one or more photosensitive thin film patterns comprising:   a) a non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex comprising a reducible silver ion complexed with an α-oxy carboxylate and an oxime compound,   the non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex being represented by the following formula (I):
   (Ag + ) a (L) b (P) c    (I)
 
   
       wherein L represents the α-oxy carboxylate; P represents the oxime compound; a is 1 or 2; b is 1 or 2; and c is 1, 2, 3, or 4, provided that when a is 1, b is 1, and when a is 2, b is 2; and
 b) a photosensitizer that can either reduce the reducible silver ion or oxidize the α-oxy carboxylate. 
 
     
     
         2 . The precursor article of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a polymeric film, glass, or ceramic material. 
     
     
         3 . The precursor article of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a continuous polyester web. 
     
     
         4 . The precursor article of  claim 1 , comprising the one or more photosensitive thin film patterns in different portions of the first supporting side of the substrate. 
     
     
         5 . The precursor article of  claim 1 , comprising one or more non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complexes that are present in the photosensitive thin film or the one or more photosensitive thin film patterns in a total amount of at least 96 weight % and up to and including 99.5 weight % based on the total dry weight of the photosensitive thin film or the one or more photosensitive thin film patterns; and the photosensitizer is present in an amount of at least 0.5 weight % and up to and including 4 weight %, based on the total amount of the one or more non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complexes. 
     
     
         6 . The precursor article of  claim 1 , wherein L is represented by the following formula (II): 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 1 , R 2 , and R 3  are independently hydrogen or branched or linear alkyl groups. 
     
     
         7 . The precursor article of  claim 1 , wherein L is represented by the following formula (III): 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 4  is a branched or linear alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms and optionally, any of the hydrogen atoms in the R 4  branched or linear alkyl group can be substituted with a fluorine atom. 
     
     
         8 . The precursor article of  claim 1 , wherein the α-oxy carboxylate is selected from:
 the group consisting of lactate, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-3,3-dimethylbutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-isobutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-2-methylbutyric acid, 2-ethyl-2-hydroxybutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-2,3-dimethylbutyric acid, 2-ethyl-2-methoxybutyric acid, 2-methoxy-2-methylpropanoic acid, 1-hydroxycyclopentane-1-carboxylic acid, 2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dimethylsuccinic acid, and 2,4-dihydroxy-2,4-dimethylpentanedioic acid; or 
 the group consisting of pyruvic acid, 3-methylpyruvic acid, 3,3-dimethylpyruvic acid, 3,3-dimethyl-2-oxobutanoic acid, 3,3-dimethyl-2-oxopentanoic acid, and 2,3-dioxosuccinic acid. 
 
     
     
         9 . The precursor article of  claim 1 , wherein P is an oxime compound represented by the following formula (IV): 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 5  and R 6  are independently hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, provided that at least one of R 5  and R 6  is the alkyl group, or R 5  and R 6  can together represent the carbon atoms sufficient to provide a 5- or 6-membered carbocyclic ring; and R 7  is hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an acyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a —C(═O)R 8  group, or a carbonyloxyalkyl group [—C(═O)OR 8 ], wherein R 8  is hydrogen or an alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms. 
     
     
         10 . The precursor article of  claim 9 , wherein one of R 5  and R 6  is hydrogen and the other is an alkyl having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or both R 5  and R 6  are independently alkyl groups each having 1 to 3 carbon atoms. 
     
     
         11 . The precursor article of  claim 1 , wherein the oxime compound is selected from the group consisting of acetoxime, acetaldoxime, Aldicarb, dimethylglyoxime, methylethyl ketone oxime, propionaldehyde oxime, cyclohexanone oxime, cyclopentanone oxime, heptanal oxime, acetone-O-methyl oxime, acetaldehyde-O-methyl oxime, propionaldehyde-O-methyl oxime, butanaldehyde-O-methyl oxime, 2-butanone-O-methyl oxime, cyclopentanone-O-methyl oxime, and 2-butanone-O-ethyl oxime. 
     
     
         12 . The precursor article of  claim 1 , wherein:
 (i) a and b are both 1 and c is 1 or 2;   (ii) a and b are both 2 and c is 2; or   (iii) a and b are both 2 and c is 4.   
     
     
         13 . The precursor article of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more photosensitive thin film patterns on the second opposing supporting side of the substrate, each of the one or more photosensitive thin film patterns disposed on the second opposing supporting side, comprising:
 a) the non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex represented by formula (I); and   b) the photosensitizer that can either reduce the reducible silver ion or oxidize the α-oxy carboxylate.   
     
     
         14 . A product article comprising a substrate having a first supporting side and a second opposing supporting side, and having on at least the first supporting side,
 an electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film or one or more electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film patterns, comprising:   silver metal;   an α-oxy carboxylate;   an oxime compound; and   a photosensitizer that can either reduce reducible silver ion or oxidize the α-oxy carboxylate.   
     
     
         15 . The product article of  claim 14 , comprising two or more electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film patterns in different portions on the first supporting side of the substrate. 
     
     
         16 . The product article of  claim 14 , further comprising one or more electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film patterns in different portions on the second opposing supporting side of the substrate,
 each of these one or more electrically-conductive silver metal-containing thin film patterns comprising:   silver metal;   an α-oxy carboxylate;   an oxime compound; and   a photosensitizer that can either reduce reducible silver ion or oxidize the α-oxy carboxylate.   
     
     
         17 . The product article of  claim 14  that is provided as a wound roll of a continuous material. 
     
     
         18 . The product article of  claim 17 , wherein the wound roll of a continuous material is a wound roll of a polyester. 
     
     
         19 . The product article of  claim 14 , wherein the oxime compound is represented by the following formula (IV): 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         wherein R 5  and R 6  are independently hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, provided that at least one of R 5  and R 6  is the alkyl group, or R 5  and R 6  can together represent the carbon atoms sufficient to provide a 5- or 6-membered carbocyclic ring; and R 7  is hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an acyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a —C(═O)R 8  group, or a carbonyloxyalkyl group [—C(═O)OR 8 ], wherein R 8  is hydrogen or an alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms. 
       
     
     
         20 . The product article of  claim 14 , wherein the α-oxy carboxylate is represented either by the following formula (II): 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 1 , R 2 , and R 3  are independently hydrogen or branched or linear alkyl groups, or by the following formula (III): 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 4  is a branched or linear alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms and optionally, any of the hydrogen atoms in the R 4  branched or linear alkyl group optionally can be substituted with a fluorine atom.