Abstract
Rapid advances in modern electronics place ever-accelerating demands on innovation towards more robust and versatile functional components. In the flexible electronics domain, novel material solutions often involve creative uses of common materials to reduce cost, while maintaining uncompromised performance. Here we combine a commercially available paraffin wax–polyolefin thermoplastic blend (elastomer matrix binder) with bulk-produced carbon nanofibres (charge percolation network for electron transport, and for imparting nanoscale roughness) to fabricate adherent thin-film composite electrodes. The simple wet-based process produces composite films capable of sustained ultra-high strain (500%) with resilient electrical performance (resistances of the order of 101–102 Ω sq−1). The composites are also designed to be superhydrophobic for long-term corrosion protection, even maintaining extreme liquid repellency at severe strain. Comprised of inexpensive common materials applied in a single step, the present scalable approach eliminates manufacturing obstacles for commercially viable wearable electronics, flexible power storage devices and corrosion-resistant circuits.
Highlights
Rapid advances in modern electronics place ever-accelerating demands on innovation towards more robust and versatile functional components
Combining stretchable and superhydrophobic functionalities in an electrode material is advantageous for many electronics applications, such as flexible energy storage, wearable electronics and printable circuitry
We present structurally resilient and electrically conductive composite coatings capable of sustained elongations up to l 1⁄4 6, delivering low sheet resistance and super repellency to water under maximum strain
Summary
Rapid advances in modern electronics place ever-accelerating demands on innovation towards more robust and versatile functional components. Performance exceeds previous benchmarks[6,9,20,21] for flexible elastomeric composites of either conductive or superhydrophobic property, yet simultaneously attaining both properties These promising and demonstrably resilient composites show recoverable performance under cyclical strain and are attractive for the manufacture of commercially viable electronic products such as wearable electronics, flexible power storage devices and corrosion-resistant circuits. Upon relaxation from a high-strain state, the adhesive and cohesive properties of the composite maintain the charge percolation network of CNFs and their hierarchical micro/ nanoscale surface roughness Of note, such robust and recoverable water repellency is achieved without the use of fluorinated chemistry, an increasingly common industrial requirement in the pursuit of environmentally benign ‘green’ products due to an adverse accumulation and bio-persistence of fluorinated compounds in humans and other living organisms (for example, perfluorooctanoic acids)[45,46]
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