Aligned Ni nanowires towards highly stretchable electrode

Abstract

Easy fabrication of super-stretchable electrodes can pave the way for smart and wearable electronics. Using drop casting unidirectional nickel nanowires with polyurethane matrix, we fabricated a super-stretchable film with high electric conductivity. The as-fabricated film can withstand a 300% tensile strain in the direction perpendicular to nanowires, owing to the transformation of percolating nanowire network from 2D to 3D. In contrast to the decreased film conductivities under large tension in most stretchable electrodes, which usually associate with fractures and irreversible deformations, our film conductivity can increase with the applied strain This probably benefits from the enhanced electrical contacts between twisted nanowires under tension The developed super-stretchable film with unprecedented behavior in this work sheds light on the facile fabrication of super-stretchable electrodes with durable performance