Abstract
Flexible and stretchable conductive materials have received significant attention due to their numerous potential applications in flexible printed electronics. In this paper, we describe a new type of conductive filler for flexible electrodes—silver nanonets prepared through the “dissolution–recrystallization” solvothermal route from porous silver nanoflakes. These new silver fillers show characteristics of both nanoflakes and nanoparticles with propensity to form interpenetrating polymer–silver networks. This effectively minimizes trade-off between composite electrode conductivity and stretchability and enables fabrication of the flexible electrodes simultaneously exhibiting high conductivity and mechanical durability. For example, an electrode with uniform, networked silver structure from the flakiest silver particles showed the lowest increase of resistivity upon extension (3500%), compared to that of the electrode filled with less flaky (3D) particles (>50,000%).
Highlights
Flexible printed electronics aim to minimize material waste and production costs, which was considered as an effective way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions during manufacturing [1,2]
Growing silver “solder” or the chemical treatment for the junctions of the nanowires can contribute to low-cost and highly stable electrodes [15,16]. This processing increases the preparation complexity of conducting film, and imposes more limitations on the performance of the resin materials which are curing agents to keep its mechanical strength in the flexible electrode [10,13]
Porous Ag nets simultaneously exhibit high conductivity and mechanical durability. This is probably due to the forming of the intercross and interpenetration structure between resins and Ag nanonets
Summary
Flexible printed electronics aim to minimize material waste and production costs, which was considered as an effective way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions during manufacturing [1,2]. To obtain good conductivity and stretchability, further treatment for the silver nanowires network to form electrical and mechanical junctions among different nanowires is necessary. Growing silver “solder” or the chemical treatment for the junctions of the nanowires can contribute to low-cost and highly stable electrodes [15,16] This processing increases the preparation complexity of conducting film, and imposes more limitations on the performance of the resin materials which are curing agents to keep its mechanical strength in the flexible electrode [10,13]. Porous Ag nets simultaneously exhibit high conductivity and mechanical durability This is probably due to the forming of the intercross and interpenetration structure between resins and Ag nanonets
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