Abstract
Sensitivity and transparency are critical properties for flexible and wearable electronic devices, and how to engineer both these properties simultaneously is dramatically essential. Here, for the first time, we report the assembly of ordered array structures of silver nanowires (AgNWs) via a simple water-bath pulling method to align the AgNWs embedded on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Compared with sensors prepared by direct drop-casting or transfer-printing methods, our developed sensor represents a considerable breakthrough in both sensitivity and transparency. The maximum transmittance was 86.3% at a wavelength of 550 nm, and the maximum gauge factor was as high as 84.6 at a strain of 30%. This remarkably sensitive and transparent flexible sensor has strictly stable and reliable responses to motion capture and human body signals; it is also expected to be able to help monitor disabled physical conditions or assist medical therapy while ensuring privacy protection.
Highlights
Method can guarantee a highly uniform AgNW film, and both methods result in low sensitivity and transparency
Ordered array structures are competitive for simultaneously maximizing the above two key features
Previous reports have sacrificed high sensitivity and transparency[40,41,42], which are important for some situation
Summary
Method can guarantee a highly uniform AgNW film, and both methods result in low sensitivity and transparency (maximum gauge factor is approximately 1433 and the sensor is nearly opaque). Compared with patterning AgNWs on glass or PET38,39, there are more difficulties in forming ordered array structures on PDMS because of its hydrophobicity and large surface roughness and its flexible and elastic properties. We fabricated two layers of AgNWs with uniform and regular orientation embedded on PDMS They were molded into a PDMS/two ordered AgNW array layers/PDMS sandwich structure to enhance the stability and reliability of the sensitive and transparent sensor. The prototype sensor with highly aligned networks of AgNWs fully satisfies the practical requirements of simultaneous high sensitivity, transparency and flexibility. This sensor has powerful potential to be applied for assisting motion detection, health monitoring and treatment, while the transparency of the sensor simultaneously protects the privacy of disabled people
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