Cu Mesh for Flexible Transparent Conductive Electrodes

Abstract

Copper electrodes with a micromesh/nanomesh structure were fabricated on a polyimide substrate using UV lithography and wet etching to produce flexible transparent conducting electrodes (TCEs). Well-defined mesh electrodes were realized through the use of high-quality Cu thin films. The films were fabricated using radio-frequency (RF) sputtering with a single-crystal Cu target—a simple but innovative approach that overcame the low oxidation resistance of ordinary Cu. Hybrid Cu mesh electrodes were fabricated by adding a capping layer of either ZnO or Al-doped ZnO. The sheet resistance and the transmittance of the electrode with an Al-doped ZnO capping layer were 6.197 ohm/sq and 90.657%, respectively, and the figure of merit was 60.502 × 10–3/ohm, which remained relatively unchanged after thermal annealing at 200 °C and 1,000 cycles of bending. This fabrication technique enables the mass production of large-area flexible TCEs, and the stability and high performance of Cu mesh hybrid electrodes in harsh environments suggests they have strong potential for application in smart displays and solar cells.

Ultrathin high-resolution flexographic printing using nanoporous stamps

“…SEM images of printed Ag line array ( B ) (linewidth, 20 μm; pitch, 200 μm) and SEM images showing evolution of printed Ag morphology after sintering ( C ) at indicated times and temperatures along with corresponding conductivity values ( D ). ( E ) Comparison of the sheet resistance and transmission (at wavelength of 550 nm) values of the printed Ag honeycomb (solid red square) to other transparent materials reported in literature, including Cu honeycomb grids with Al-doped ZnO layer ( 56 ), Ag nanowires ( 54 ), graphene ( 53 ), indium tin oxide (ITO) ( 55 ), and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) ( 52 ). …”

In Situ Surface Oxidized Copper Mesh Electrodes for High‐Performance Transparent Electrical Heating and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

“…[13] Multilayer Cu-based TCEs covered with ultrathin metal oxides have been widely explored recently. [15] Hatton and co-workers have shown that oxidation of Cu films can be passivated effectively by coating with a sub-1-nm-thick aluminium oxide film. [15] Hatton and co-workers have shown that oxidation of Cu films can be passivated effectively by coating with a sub-1-nm-thick aluminium oxide film.…”

Nanomaterial-based stretchable and transparent electrodes

“…Based on the merits of long nanowires, research on metal nanomesh structures such as nanofibers and nanotroughs is being accelerated so that they can replace the existing metal nanowires. Metal grids have also attracted attention in various fields as transparent electrodes [54][55][56]. The stretchability of the metal grid is far lower than that of the random networks of metal nanowires, however, and the metal grid can withstand only a small degree of bending.…”