Highly transparent and flexible Ag nanowire-embedded silk fibroin electrodes for biocompatible flexible and transparent heater

A thin-film polymer heating element with a continuous silver nanowires network embedded inside

This study presents a method for fabricating a film-based heating element using a polymer material with an array of intersecting conductive elements embedded within it. Track-etched membranes (TM) with a thickness of 10μm were used as the template, and their pores were filled with metal, forming a three-dimensional grid. Due to the unique manufacturing process of TM, the pores inside intersect with each other, allowing for contacts between individual nanowires (NWs) when filled with metal. Experimental results demonstrated that filling the TM pores with silver allows for heating temperatures up to 78 degrees without deformation or damage to the heating element. The resulting flexible heating element can be utilized in medical devices for heating purposes or as a thermal barrier coating.

Highly flexible Ag nanowire network covered by a graphene oxide nanosheet for high-performance flexible electronics and anti-bacterial applications

We investigated a flexible and transparent conductive electrode (FTCE) based on Ag nanowires (AgNWs) and a graphene oxide (GO) nanosheet and fabricated through a simple and cost-effective spray coating method. The AgNWs/GO hybrid FTCE was optimized by adjusting the nozzle-to-substrate distance, spray speed, compressor pressure, and volume of the GO solution. The optimal AgNWs/GO hybrid FTCE has a high transmittance of 88% at a wavelength of 550 nm and a low sheet resistance of 20 Ohm/square. We demonstrate the presence of the GO nanosheet on the AgNWs through Raman spectroscopy. Using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, we confirmed that the nanosheet acted as a conducting bridge between AgNWs and improved the surface morphology and roughness of the electrode. Effective coverage by the GO sheet improved the conductivity of the AgNWs electrode Effective coverage of the GO sheet improved conductivity of the AgNWs electrode with minimum degradation of optical and mechanical properties. Flexible thin film heater (TFH) and electroluminescent (EL) devices fabricated on AgNWs/GO hybrid FTCEs showed better performance than devices on bare AgNWs electrodes due to lower sheet resistance and uniform conductivity. In addition, an AgNWs/GO electrode layer on a facial mask acts as a self-heating and antibacterial coating. A facial mask with an AgNWs/GO electrode showed a bacteriostatic reduction rate of 99.7 against Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumonia.