1
|
Zhu X, Liu M, Qi X, Li H, Zhang YF, Li Z, Peng Z, Yang J, Qian L, Xu Q, Gou N, He J, Li D, Lan H. Templateless, Plating-Free Fabrication of Flexible Transparent Electrodes with Embedded Silver Mesh by Electric-Field-Driven Microscale 3D Printing and Hybrid Hot Embossing. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2007772. [PMID: 33829552 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202007772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) with an embedded metal mesh are considered a promising alternative to traditional indium tin oxide (ITO) due to their excellent photoelectric performance, surface roughness, and mechanical and environmental stability. However, great challenges remain for achieving simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly manufacturing of high-performance FTEs with embedded metal mesh. Herein, a maskless, templateless, and plating-free fabrication technique is proposed for FTEs with embedded silver mesh by combining an electric-field-driven (EFD) microscale 3D printing technique and a newly developed hybrid hot-embossing process. The final fabricated FTE exhibits superior optoelectronic properties with a transmittance of 85.79%, a sheet resistance of 0.75 Ω sq-1 , a smooth surface of silver mesh (Ra ≈ 18.8 nm) without any polishing treatment, and remarkable mechanical stability and environmental adaptability with a negligible increase in sheet resistance under diverse cyclic tests and harsh working conditions (1000 bending cycles, 80 adhesion tests, 120 scratch tests, 100 min ultrasonic test, and 72 h chemical attack). The practical viability of this FTE is successfully demonstrated with a flexible transparent heater applied to deicing. The technique proposed offers a promising fabrication strategy with a cost-effective and environmentally friendly process for high-performance FTE.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyang Zhu
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Additive Manufacturing, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266520, China
| | - Mingyang Liu
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Additive Manufacturing, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266520, China
| | - Ximeng Qi
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Additive Manufacturing, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266520, China
| | - Hongke Li
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Additive Manufacturing, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266520, China
| | - Yuan-Fang Zhang
- Digital Manufacturing and Design Centre, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore, 487372, Singapore
| | - Zhenghao Li
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Additive Manufacturing, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266520, China
| | - Zilong Peng
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Additive Manufacturing, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266520, China
- College of Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Jianjun Yang
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Additive Manufacturing, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266520, China
| | - Lei Qian
- Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Quan Xu
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Additive Manufacturing, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266520, China
| | - Nairui Gou
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Additive Manufacturing, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266520, China
| | - Jiankang He
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing System Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China
| | - Dichen Li
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing System Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China
| | - Hongbo Lan
- Shandong Engineering Research Center for Additive Manufacturing, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266520, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhou H, Song Y. Fabrication of Silver Mesh/Grid and Its Applications in Electronics. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:3493-3511. [PMID: 33440929 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c18518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
With the development of flexible electronics, researchers have endeavored to improve the characteristics of the commonly used indium tin oxide such as brittleness, poor mechanical or chemical stability, and scarcity. Currently, many alternative materials have been considered such as conductive polymers, graphene, carbon nanotubes, metallic nanoparticles (NPs), nanowires (NWs), or nanofibers. Among them, silver (Ag) mesh/grid NPs or NWs have been considered as an excellent substitute due to the good transmittance, excellent electrical conductivity, outstanding mechanical robustness, and cost competitiveness. So far, much effort has been devoted to the fabrication of Ag mesh/grid, and many methods such as printing technology, self-assembly, electrospun, hot-pressing, and atomic layer deposition have been reported. Here printing technologies include jet printing, gravure printing, screen printing, nanoimprint lithography, microcontact printing, and flexographic printing. The solution-based self-assembly usually combines with coating, template, or mask assistance. This review summarizes the characteristics of these fabrication methods for the Ag mesh/grid with its related applications in electronics. Then the prospect and challenges of the fabrication methods are discussed, and the new preparation approaches and applications of the Ag mesh/grid are highlighted, which will be of significance for the applications in electronics such as transparent conducting electrodes, organic light-emitting diode, energy harvester, strain sensor, cells, etc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haihua Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Engineering Research Center of Nanomaterials for Green Printing Technology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Yanlin Song
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Engineering Research Center of Nanomaterials for Green Printing Technology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Kim GH, Woo H, Kim S, An T, Lim G. Highly-robust, solution-processed flexible transparent electrodes with a junction-free electrospun nanofiber network. RSC Adv 2020; 10:9940-9948. [PMID: 35558143 PMCID: PMC9092636 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra10278g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) are widely used in a variety of applications, including flexible displays and wearable devices. Important factors in FTE design include active control of electrical sheet resistance, optical transparency and mechanical flexibility. Because these factors are inversely proportional to one another, it is essential to develop a technique that maintains flexibility while actively controlling the sheet resistance and transparency for a variety of applications. This research presents a new method for fabricating transparent electrodes on flexible polyimide films using electrospinning and copper electroless deposition methods. A flat metal network-based electrode without contact resistance was fabricated by heat treatment and electroless deposition onto the electrospun seed layer. The fabricated FTEs exhibited a transparency exceeding 80% over the entire visible light range and a sheet resistance of less than 10.0 Ω sq−1. Due to the heat treatment process, the adhesion between the metal network and the substrate was superior to other electrospinning-based transparent electrodes. Applicable to the large-area manufacturing process, the standard deviation of the network density of the fabricated large-area FTE was about 1%. This study does not require the polymer casting technique and has further advantages for mass production of electrodes and application to various fields. The flexible transparent electrode of this study used electrospinning and electroless deposition, which is a fabrication method to remove contact resistance at the nanofiber intersection and fabricate large-area electrode.![]()
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Geon Hwee Kim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) 77, Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu Pohang-si Gyeongsangbuk-do 37673 Republic of Korea +82-54-279-0479 +82-54-279-2186
| | - Hyeonsu Woo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) 77, Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu Pohang-si Gyeongsangbuk-do 37673 Republic of Korea +82-54-279-0479 +82-54-279-2186
| | - Suhyeon Kim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) 77, Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu Pohang-si Gyeongsangbuk-do 37673 Republic of Korea +82-54-279-0479 +82-54-279-2186
| | - Taechang An
- Department of Mechanical Design Engineering, Andong National University 1375, Gyeongdong-ro Andong-si Gyeongsangbuk-do 36729 Republic of Korea +82-54-820-7767
| | - Geunbae Lim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) 77, Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu Pohang-si Gyeongsangbuk-do 37673 Republic of Korea +82-54-279-0479 +82-54-279-2186.,Department of Integrative Bioscience and Biotechnology, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) 77, Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu Pohang-si Gyeongsangbuk-do 37673 Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|