Flexible and conductive cellulose substrate by layered growth of silver nanowires and indium-doped tin oxide

Abstract

Regenerated cellulose film (RCF) has potential as a conductive substrate due to features such as its degradability, transparency, and flexibility. Indium doped tin oxide (ITO) is a conventional conductive material, but its rigidity restricts the formation of flexible conductive film. In this study, silver nanowires (AgNWs) were introduced between the RCF and the ITO conductive framework. Additionally, the fabrication of flexible, conductive, and transparent RCF was conducted. The AgNWs-ITO based RCF demonstrated high conductivity (170 Ω per sq) and transparency (78%) by the addition of 50 μL of AgNWs. After bending the sample 50 times with a 5 mm curve radius, the as-prepared conductive RCF presented an electric resistance improvement of 19%, with a 485% increase for the control ITO-based RCF. This is a result of the AgNWs framework, which can lessen the destruction of the bending treatment on the conductive layer and can also desirably connect the ITO conductive sections. The novel approach can expedite the versatile applications of flexibly conductive RCF on printable, portable, and wearable electronic devices.

Solution-processable robust, recyclable and sustainable cellulose conductor for photoelectric devices via a starch-gluing–Ag nanowires strategy

“…Similar to previous work, 37,38 the pristine cellulose film features a high transmittance of ∼96% (Fig. 3a).…”

“…3a), superior to that of some flexible cellulose–AgNW films fabricated via conventional methods. 36–38 The high transmittance of the CSA film is further demonstrated by the clear observation of the flower behind the sample (Fig. 3b).…”

“…In addition to maintaining the high transmittance, starch endows the CSA film with an excellent conductivity with the low sheet resistance of 15 Ω sq −1 (Fig. S9†), even lower than that of the CA film (19 Ω sq −1 ) and previously reported cellulose–AgNW conductive substrate, 35,38,40 which is mainly attributed to the starch-strengthened connection between AgNWs in the densified structure of the conductive AgNW layer (Fig. 2d).…”

“…Such behavior indicates the superior robustness and attractive adaptability of our CSA film, functioning as a fascinatingly customized conductive substrate, which is superior to that of some flexible cellulose conductors previously reported. 36,38–40 In addition, the CSA film features a comparable strength to that of the original cellulose film (Fig. S12†).…”

“…More importantly, the promising recyclability of our CSA film to produce a second-time high-performance cellulose conductor has not been demonstrated in previously reported work. 35–41…”