20.500.12556/DKUM-97166 Plasma-deposited gold nanoparticles as a green alternative to ENIG circuit boards Next-generation space missions require electronics that can operate reliably under extreme radiation, thermal cycling, vacuum exposure and multi-year mission durations, while supporting increasingly demanding high-frequency communication and sensing systems. Commercial printed circuit boards (PCBs) finished with electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG) remain widely used in aerospace, yet the Ni–P barrier layer introduces environmental, recyclability and high-frequency performance limitations that are becoming incompatible with emerging mission requirements and future visions of in-situ manufacturing. This work presents plasma-printed gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) PCBs as a nickel-free, additive alternative platform designed to address these challenges. AuNPs synthesised via ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) and deposited through plasma-assisted printing form gold conductive traces without chemical baths or multilayer structures. Demonstrations on alumina substrates show that the resulting microstrip transmission lines achieve insertion and return losses comparable to ENIG-finished PCBs up to 20 GHz, validating the approach for space-grade RF applications. Beyond performance parity, AuNPs-based PCBs offer closed-loop recyclability and compatibility. Together, these results position plasma-printed AuNPs as a promising foundation for sustainable, high-frequency and space-ready electronics. PCB AuNPs plasma printing nanotehnologija plazemski tisk true false true Association of Metallurgical Engineers of Serbia Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik https://www.metall-mater-data.com/index.php/home/article/view/79 Članek v reviji 2026-02-20 13:53:59 2026-02-20 13:54:00 2026-02-21 03:11:40 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 str. 115-119 no. 4 Vol. 3 Dec. 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2025-10-17 2025-12-28 2025-12-31 669:620.3 269122819 10.30544/MMD79 2956-1795 4_MMD_79.pdf 4_MMD_79.pdf 1 988A1A4AFCA1448CC726C9CAFE8850B5 67b7675a8c1a2b43841a637cc79ddcb4af25fa37c1619238f86ee752f744813a c287891f-0e5e-11f1-86bb-00155d580e1a https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=203611 https://www.metall-mater-data.com/index.php/home/article/view/79 0 124c059e-0e5c-11f1-86bb-00155d580e1a https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=203605 Fakulteta za strojništvo 0 0 0