Nanostructure and electrical conductivity correlation of O2 plasma processing and AgNW-coated condensation polymer

Abstract

The aim of this study is to invent the flexible conductive fabrics and films through O2 plasma pretreatment and silver nanowire (AgNW) solution coating. And nanostructure and electrical conductivity correlation characteristics were studied using FE-SEM, atomic force microscopy, water contact angle, electricity, and FTIR spectroscopy. It was found that as O2 plasma processing time was increased, the surface roughness (nm) and surface hydrophilicity of film were also increased. Moreover, electrical resistance (Ω/cm) was decreased when O2 plasma pretreatment time and the applied amount of AgNW solution were increased. O2 plasma treated polyethylene terephthalate(PET) films(without AgNW coating) showed high electrical resistance to the point of being nonconductive materials. Besides, water contact angles of film decreased as the O2 plasma treatment time was increased, which shows that plasma treatment time has an effect on electrical conductivity. The FTIR shows that the transmittance peak depth of plasma-treated samples was reduced compared to that of the untreated samples. Therefore, it is estimated that O2 plasma-treated and AgNW-coated fabrics and films can be applied to high-function smart wear, flexible transparent electrode materials, information and communication technology, and the Internet of Things(IoT).