- Startseite
- Mitarbeitende
- Brückner
- Publikationen
- Metallization and laser sintering of electrical conductor tracks on microporous and temperature-sensitive natural fiber-reinforced plastic
Metallization and laser sintering of electrical conductor tracks on microporous and temperature-sensitive natural fiber-reinforced plastic
in: Flexible and Printed Electronics (2026)
Natural fibre-reinforced polypropylene (NFRP) composites are increasingly used as lightweight, bio-based structural materials in automotive and interior applications. To enable multifunctional components with integrated sensing, lighting or wiring, electrical conductor tracks need to be fabricated directly on NFRP surfaces. This is challenging, because NFRP exhibits pronounced surface roughness and porosity, while the polypropylene matrix imposes a restricted thermal budget that limits conventional high-temperature curing of conductive inks. In this work, we demonstrate the direct fabrication of silver conductor tracks on a hemp-fibre NFRP by combining a water-based starch filler layer with screen printing of a commercial thermoplastic polyurethane-based silver ink, followed by localized 808 nm laser sintering. The starch layer fills surface pores and smooths the NFRP surface while acting as an aqueous, bio-derived adhesive that can be dried at moderate temperatures, which is in line with the low-emission and moderate-temperature requirements of NFRP interior components and avoids the need for typical solvent-borne primers and higher curing temperatures that are less compatible with such substrates. We systematically compare track resistance and morphology on glass and on both sides of the NFRP and show that suitable pre-treatment of the NFRP surface, combined with laser sintering, enables low-resistance conductor tracks on the NFRP back side under process temperatures compatible with the polymer matrix. Localized near-infrared laser sintering further improves the conductivity without damaging the composite and enables continuous, low-resistance tracks to be realized on the NFRP substrate.To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate laser sintered, screen-printed silver conductors directly on an industrial natural fibre-reinforced polypropylene composite within its limited thermal budget using a water-based, starch-based filler layer. The results indicate a process- and environmentally compatible route towards multifunctional, lightweight NFRP components with integrated electrical functionalities.