IEC 62899-202-6:2020

Printed electronics - Part 202-6: Materials - Conductive ink - Measurement method for resistance changes under high temperature and humidity - Printed conductive layer on a flexible substrate

IEC 62899-202-6:2020(E) provides a method of in-situ measurement for the resistance change of a conductive layer formed by printing methods on a flexible substrate under specified temperature and humidity conditions.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 03-Dec-2020
• ICS: 31.180 - Printed circuits and boards
• ICS: 87.080 - Inks. Printing inks
• Technical Committee: TC 119 - Printed Electronics
• Drafting Committee: WG 2 - TC 119/WG 2
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 27-Dec-2020
• Completion Date: 04-Dec-2020

Overview

IEC 62899-202-6:2020 is an international standard in the Printed Electronics series that defines an in‑situ measurement method for resistance changes of a printed conductive layer on a flexible substrate when exposed to high temperature and humidity. It specifies sample shapes, environmental test conditions, measurement jigs (two‑wire and four‑wire), and data reporting requirements to evaluate environmental stability of conductive inks and printed conductive films.

Key Topics and Requirements

• Scope and purpose
  • Method to measure resistance change of conductive layers made by printing methods on flexible substrates under controlled temperature and humidity.
• Test samples
  • Recommended rectangular samples with a long:short ratio ≥ 20 (example size: 200 mm × 10 mm). Dimensional tolerance ±5%.
• Environmental test conditions
  • Standard humidity/temperature condition: 85 °C ±2 °C and 85 % RH ±5 % (unless otherwise specified).
  • High temperature testing generally at 120 °C ±2 °C, but limited to 15 °C below the substrate glass transition temperature (Tg) if Tg < 120 °C.
  • Thermal cycling defined (e.g., −20 °C ↔ 80 °C cycles) with specified dwell and ramp times; humidity typically held at ~50 % RH.
• Test method and apparatus
  • In‑chamber, in‑situ resistance monitoring using two‑wire or four‑wire connections; fixtures may include rigid plates and screws or metal grips to ensure stable contact.
  • Guidance on measurement intervals and applied currents is provided (see referenced tables in the standard).
• Data analysis and reporting
  • Procedures for recording resistance change over time, reporting electrical properties, and presenting test results for reliability assessment.

Applications and Users

• Intended for stakeholders in printed electronics, including:
  • Conductive ink and material manufacturers validating environmental stability.
  • Flexible device designers and OEMs (e.g., wearables, flexible displays, touch panels, smart packaging) requiring reliable printed interconnects or electrodes.
  • Test laboratories and quality assurance teams performing environmental reliability testing.
• Practical uses:
  • Compare formulation performance (e.g., silver/copper nanowire inks, metal meshes) under accelerated ageing.
  • Define storage/handling recommendations and acceptance criteria for printed conductive films.
  • Support material selection and lifetime predictions for flexible electronic products.

Related Standards

• IEC 62899-201 - Printed electronics: Materials - Substrates
• IEC 62899-202 - Printed electronics: Materials - Conductive ink
• IEC 62899-202-5 - Mechanical bending test for printed conductive layers

Keywords: IEC 62899-202-6:2020, printed electronics, conductive ink, resistance measurement, high temperature humidity, flexible substrate, environmental test, in-situ measurement.

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC 62899-202-6 ®
Edition 1.0 2020-12
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
Printed electronics –
Part 202-6: Materials – Conductive ink – Measurement method for resistance
changes under high temperature and humidity – Printed conductive layer on a
flexible substrate
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IEC 62899-202-6 ®
Edition 1.0 2020-12
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
Printed electronics –
Part 202-6: Materials – Conductive ink – Measurement method for resistance

changes under high temperature and humidity – Printed conductive layer on a

flexible substrate
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 31.180; 87.080 ISBN 978-2-8322-9092-7

– 2 – IEC 62899-202-6:2020 © IEC 2020
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 Test sample and measurement equipment . 7
4.1 General . 7
4.2 Sample shape and size for measuring resistance change . 7
5 Test conditions . 7
5.1 General . 7
5.2 Test conditions under temperature and humidity . 7
5.3 Test conditions at high temperature . 7
5.4 Test conditions for thermal cycling . 7
6 Test method and test apparatus . 8
6.1 General . 8
6.2 Test apparatus . 9
6.3 Test procedure . 9
6.4 Measurement . 10
7 Data analysis . 10
7.1 Reporting the electrical property . 10
7.2 Reporting of results . 11
Annex A (informative) An example of environmental test . 12
Bibliography . 15

Figure 1 – Schematic diagram of environmental test jig of printed conductive film for
two-wire measurement . 8
Figure 2 – Schematic diagram of environmental test jig of printed conductive film for
four-wire measurement . 8
Figure 3 – Schematic diagram of environmental test jig of printed conductive film with
screws for a four-wire measurement . 9
Figure 4 – Image of metal grip for connection . 9
Figure A.1 – Image of environment reliability test sample. 12
Figure A.2 – Resistance change at a temperature of 85 °C and a humidity of 85 % . 14

Table 1 – Options for duration time and interval of collecting data . 10
Table 2 – Resistance range of the test piece and applied current (see IEC 62899-202) . 10
Table A.1 – Test result . 13

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
PRINTED ELECTRONICS –
Part 202-6: Materials – Conductive ink –
Measurement method for resistance changes under high temperature
and humidity – Printed conductive layer on a flexible substrate

FOREWORD
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International Standard IEC 62899-202-6 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 119:
Printed Electronics.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
119/323/FDIS 119/331/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this International Standard can be found in
the report on voting indicated in the above table.
This document has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

– 4 – IEC 62899-202-6:2020 © IEC 2020
A list of all parts in the IEC 62899 series, published under the general title Printed electronics,
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INTRODUCTION
The printing process is a highly promising technology for fabricating flexible devices due to its
high conductivity and productivity. In particular, a printed conductive layer on a flexible
substrate will be widely employed as an electrode or an interconnect for flexible devices. It
will be dealt with and commercialized as a sort of composite material in which the conductive
layer is formed on the substrate as a conductor.
For conductive films, silver/copper nanowires or metal mesh on flexible substrate are a key
component for many recently developed electronic products, from smart phones to the
keypads of appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines. Although the
conventional material for transparent conductive films is indium tin oxide (ITO), transparent
conductive films, enabled by printed electronics technologies, have arisen as a replacement.
For application of conductive films, the electrical property under environmental conditions
such as temperature, humidity, light, etc., is very important because it is highly sensitive to
the environment because of oxidation, dissolution, melting, etc [1] . The conductive films
should be stored on a shelf and should be environ
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