Facile Transfer of a Transparent Silver Nanowire Pattern to a Soft Substrate Using Graphene Oxide as a Double-Sided Adhesion-Tuning Layer

Abstract

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) have been employed in various optoelectronic devices as transparent electrodes. However, it remains a great challenge to facilely pattern silver nanowires to realize desirable soft skin devices. Here, we develop an intact transfer method via a double-layered adhesion regulator of graphene oxide (GO) enabling complete transfer of a silver nanowire pattern from a tough substrate onto soft polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and flexible polyethylene (PE). We achieve positive and negative patterns simultaneously when selectively transferring silver nanowire patterns. The resulting patterned AgNW electrodes have uniform conductivity and long-term stability. The underlying mechanism of the clean transfer is thoroughly investigated via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). GO plays a role in reducing the adhesion of AgNW to the donor tough substrate and enhancing adhesion of AgNW to the target soft substrate simultaneously. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of the patterned electrodes as transparent sensors detecting body motion. This work offers an effective solution to the challenging patterning problem of silver nanowires on a hydrophobic soft substrate, which is compatible with the soft component in emerging smart skin or wearable electronics.

Aligned Silver Nanowires Wrapped in Graphene as a Transparent Electrode for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Applications

“…Furthermore, a comparison accentuates the superior optoelectronic capabilities of the G–ASNWs against other counterparts such as Ag/oxide NWs, Ag/Au NWs, and Ag/graphene hybrid films (Figure d). The deduced FoMs for our G–ASNWs range between 500 and 600, outpacing the performance metrics of the current core–shell MNN TCs. − ,− …”

“…(c) Comparative assessment of sheet resistance against optical transmittance among random AgNW networks, aligned AgNWs, and G–ASNWs. (d) Sheet resistance against optical transmittance for G–ASNWs and other benchmark TCs such as Ag/graphene NWs, Cu/graphene NWs, , Ag/Au NWs, and AgNWs/graphene hybrid films, − and Ag/oxide NWs. − , …”

Transparent Conductive Films Based on Silver Nanowires and SiO2 Nanoparticles for Flexible Electronics

“…However, these methods typically impose high technical requirements, involve complex molding processes, and are susceptible to causing adverse effects on the conductive networks and substrates, thereby significantly limiting practical application. In contrast, mixing other conductive materials with AgNWs can solve the existing problems of AgNW-based TCFs in some aspects. − Although the hybridization of conductive materials is beneficial for the construction of conductive networks, it concurrently presents the challenge of diminishing the transparency of thin films. Monodisperse SiO 2 NP coatings can not only improve the transmittance of thin films through antireflection but also promote the uniform distribution of AgNWs through electrophilic effects, reducing the thin sheet resistance and surface roughness. , Qiu’s team prepared TCFs by impregnating SiO 2 NPs dispersion, which increased their transmittance by 4.8% .…”

Highly Stretchable Double Network Ionogels for Monitoring Physiological Signals and Detecting Sign Language

“…These rigid material-based devices lack mechanical flexibility and portability, do not attach well to the human body, and suffer from problems such as inaccurate sensing data and poor sensing accuracy [7]. Researchers have not been constrained by rigid materials, but have developed a series of flexible substrates on this basis, such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) [8,9], polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) [10,11], polyethylene (PE) [12], polyimide (PI) [13], and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) [14], giving birth to a generation of soft wearable electronic products. While these substrates are more flexible, many of them are deficient in electrical conductivity.…”