Fast and simple fabrication of flexible and transparent electrode based on patterned copper nanowires by mechanical lithography transfer

Abstract

Although copper nanowire is potentially promising candidate for replacing indium tin oxide, critical issues including small-scale and a complex and expensive fabrication and patterning have to be addressed before widely applying copper nanowire networks in flexible devices. Here, we demonstrate a fast and scalable fabrication and a patterning method for copper nanowires (Cu NWs)-based flexible transparent electrodes. By adding ethanol-dipping step together with acid treatment during the cleaning process, Cu NWs electrodes on glass substrates exhibited high conductivity and the film former was completely removed. After a simple one-step transfer and patterning, the patterned Cu NWs channels strongly adher to the flexible substrates, resulting in excellent properties of the electrodes. Finally, the patterned flexible electrodes were used to make a 4 × 2 touch screen to confirm our method to be useful in commercial manufacturing.