Conductivity Of Films Research Articles

Piezoelectric dispenser printing and intense pulsed light sintering of AgNW/PEDOT:PSS hybrid transparent conductive films

A hybrid transparent conductive films (TCFs) combining silver nanowires (AgNWs) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) was fabricated using a piezoelectric dispenser printing method. The innovation lies in optimizing the ink composition and employing intense pulsed light sintering to enhance the TCF's performance. The optimized AgNW/PEDOT:PSS mixture, with an 8:2 ratio, achieved a figure of merit (FOM) of 28.05 × 10-3Ω-1, corresponding to a sheet resistance of 9.93 Ω sq-1and a transmittance of 88.0%. This represents a significant improvement over the pre-sintering FOM of 24.09 × 10-3Ω-1. Additionally, the hybrid TCFs exhibited outstanding structural stability, maintaining functionality after 7000 mechanical bending cycles. The results enable applications in flexible optoelectronic devices, and highlight the potential of this method to produce high-performance, flexible, and durable transparent electrodes, advancing the development of next-generation optoelectronic devices.

Improving thermal conductivity of butylpyridine latex‐based composites by modified single‐layer graphene

AbstractChelated titanate (CT) modified single‐layer graphene (CTMSG), exhibiting much better static and dynamic stability due to the synergy of physical and chemical bonds, was mixed with butadiene‐vinylpyridine latex (BL) to prepare composite (CTMSG‐BL) film to enhance its thermal conductivity. Furthermore, CTMSG‐BL was complexed with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabric to promote the thermal conductivity of the composite (CTMSG‐BL/PET). Compared with the samples without CTMSG, the thermal conductivity of CTMSG‐BL (CTMSG content: 0.2 wt%) and CTMSG‐BL/PET increased from 3.52 to 4.35 W/(m·K) and from 1.91 to 2.56 W/(m·K), improved by 19.1% and 34.0%. This benefits from the excellent orientation alignment of single‐layer graphene (SG) in BL film and the highly efficient construction of the thermal conductivity pathway. The CTMSG‐BL emulsion is suitable for preparing heat‐resistant thermal conductive film with a thickness of micro‐nano meter (~0.6 μm) by impregnation process because of the low viscosity of the CTMSG‐BL emulsion (3.61 mPa·s) and the good heat resistance of the pyridine groups of BL with average pyrolysis temperature about 444 °C. The CTMSG‐BL film and CTMSG‐BL/PET composites have excellent heat conduction and dissipation properties, exhibiting broad application prospects in thermal interface materials, aerospace, and transport.Highlights The static and dynamic stability of the CTMSG was significantly improved. Low viscosity CTMSG‐BL is suitable for preparing thermally conductive films. With the addition of CTMSG, the thermal conductivity of BL improved by 19.0%. With addition of CTMSG, the thermal conductivity of BL/PET improved by 34%.

Highly Transparent Conductive Gallium-Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films Grown by Reactive Plasma Deposition for Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Highly Transparent Conductive Gallium-Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films Grown by Reactive Plasma Deposition for Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Effects of Intercalation on ML-Ti3C2Tz MXene Properties and Friction Performance.

Intercalation in two-dimensional (2D) materials can modify their physical, chemical, and electronic properties. This modification enables the tailoring of 2D material characteristics, enhancing their performance and expanding their applications in various fields. The friction performance of 2D materials such as MoS2 and graphite has a strong dependence on their interlayer spacing, and they exhibit an increase in d-spacing associated with a reduction in friction performance. The ability to control the interlayer spacing of Ti3C2Tz MXene has proven beneficial for energy storage applications such as batteries and supercapacitors, but no one has utilized this control of interlayer spacing for lubrication. In this study, we demonstrate that interlayer spacing of multilayer (ML) Ti3C2Tz MXene can be controlled through chemical intercalation and its direct effects on the electrical conductivity and friction performance. We observed a notable decrease in electrical conductivity in vacuum-filtered ML-Ti3C2Tz MXene films, which was attributed to an increased internal resistance resulting from the expansion of the interlayer gap. We also found a significant reduction in the coefficient of friction for ML-Ti3C2Tz MXene with an increased d-spacing. This reduction is attributed to a weakened attraction of individual ML-Ti3C2Tz MXene layers (intercalated). Under a tangential force, it becomes easier to slide within the larger interlayer gap with weakened van der Waals forces. This work provides insights into the tunability of MXene properties through interlayer spacing, offering potential applications requiring materials with specific electrical and friction characteristics.

Enhancing the conductivity and crystallinity of (111) platinum films via a two-temperature deposition and substrate annealing

Developing routes to deposit highly conductive (111) oriented platinum films with sub-nanometer roughness will provide a platform to develop unique hexagonal and (111) oriented cubic materials. A two-temperature e-beam deposition process is proposed for the growth of (111) oriented platinum films on Al2O3 to simultaneously induce crystallographic texturing, improve conductivity, and reduce surface roughness. Depositing an initial platinum layer at 700 °C induces texturing then subsequently depositing at 500 °C promotes planar growth. The resulting (111) platinum films exhibit a narrow rocking curve full width at half maximum of 0.004°, a surface roughness of 0.20 nm, and conductivity of 8.99 × 106 S/m simultaneously—reaching metrics that are not currently available by other deposition methods. The e-beam deposition methodology developed in this study provides a route to increase the performance of platinum as a conductive substrate.

High-quality multimodal MRI with simultaneous EEG using conductive ink and polymer-thick film nets

Objective. Combining magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) provides a powerful tool for investigating brain function at varying spatial and temporal scales. Simultaneous acquisition of both modalities can provide unique information that a single modality alone cannot reveal. However, current simultaneous EEG-fMRI studies are limited to a small set of MRI sequences due to the image quality and safety limitations of commercially available MR-conditional EEG nets. We tested whether the Inknet2, a high-resistance polymer thick film based EEG net that uses conductive ink, could enable the acquisition of a variety of MR image modalities with minimal artifacts by reducing the radiofrequency-shielding caused by traditional MR-conditional nets.Approach. We first performed simulations to model the effect of the EEG nets on the magnetic field and image quality. We then performed phantom scans to test image quality with a conventional copper EEG net, with the new Inknet2, and without any EEG net. Finally, we scanned five human subjects at 3 Tesla (3 T) and three human subjects at 7 Tesla (7 T) with and without the Inknet2 to assess structural and functional MRI image quality.Main results. Across these simulations, phantom scans, and human studies, the Inknet2 induced fewer artifacts than the conventional net and produced image quality similar to scans with no net present.Significance. Our results demonstrate that high-quality structural and functional multimodal imaging across a variety of MRI pulse sequences at both 3 T and 7 T is achievable with an EEG net made with conductive ink and polymer thick film technology.

Comparison of Au Nanoparticle/Poly(9-vinylcarbazole) Thin-Film Electrogeneration at 3 Distinct Liquid/Liquid Interfaces: Water/1,2-Dichloroethane, /α,α,α-Trifluorotoluene, Or/Ionic Liquid.

Metal nanoparticle (NP) incorporated conductive polymer films are attractive for their mechanical stability for biomedical applications and as heterogeneous electrocatalysis materials. Novel approaches to generate these materials with tunable properties are still being sought. Herein, the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) has been employed as a molecularly sharp and reproducible platform for simultaneous Au NP and poly(9-vinylcarbazole) generation. Three interfaces have been compared, including between water|1,2-dichloroethane (w|DCE), water|α,α,α-trifluorotoluene (w|TFT), and water|ionic liquid (w|IL). In this case the IL was P8888TB (tetraoctylphosphonium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate). 9-Vinylcarbazole (VC) can polymerize via two routes, either propagating through the vinyl substituent or the aryl rings. The former gives rise to a white semiconducting polymer with a wide bandgap, while the latter produces a green, conducting polymer. External potential control through voltammetric cycling was found to generate the film more rapidly favoring heterogeneous electron transfer with formation of the green poly(VC) variant at the ITIES. This was a free-standing film that could be easily removed from the interface. In the absence of external control, white polymer crystals formed within the oil phase spontaneously likely via AuCl4- w → o transfer followed by a homogeneous electron transfer reaction mechanism. Scanning electrochemical microscopy probe approach curve experiments were used to quantify the electroactivity of the film and are complemented by direct conductivity measurements.

Electrochemical Determination of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide with an Epitope-Imprinted Polymer-Based Sensor

B-type natriuretic peptides (BNP) are produced and secreted by the myocardium to reduce blood pressure and cardiac load. They cause vasodilation, natriuresis, growth suppression, and inhibition of the sympathetic nervous system and the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system. The measurement of plasma BNP levels provides clinically useful information concerning the diagnosis and management of left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure, complementing other diagnostic testing procedures. In this work, three epitopes from the N-terminal (BNPnt), C-terminal (BNPct), and the cystine-bridged cyclic peptides (BNPr) of B-type natriuretic peptides were synthesized as templates for molecular imprinting. These peptides were doped into aniline (AN) and m-aminobenzenesulfonic acid (MSAN) for electropolymerization, thus forming epitope-imprinted poly(AN-co-MSAN) conductive films (EIPs). The monomer ratio was optimized using the electrochemical signals during polymerization. The optimized films were then characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), and AC impedance. The electrochemical response of the films to the target peptides and to BNP was then measured. The sensing range of the EIPs-coated electrodes was from 0.001 to 1000 pg/mL for BNP. Finally, the BNP concentration in diluted serum samples was measured with the BNPrIP-coated electrode, giving 3.15 ± 0.07 pg/mL. By spiking the sample with known BNP concentrations, the accuracy was determined to be better than ±5%.

Electrospun green fluorescent-highly anisotropic conductive Janus-type nanoribbon hydrogel array film for multiple stimulus response sensors

A new strategy aimed at significantly enhancing the anisotropic conductivity of hydrogel materials, along with a simple construction technology and design concept, are proposed. Anisotropic conductive hydrogel materials have attracted much attention from researchers in the field of flexible electronics for their inherent excellent properties. However, the anisotropic conductivity of the existing conductive hydrogels is not high and the preparation methods are complex. Herein, fluorescent-highly conductive anisotropic Janus-type nanoribbon hydrogel array film (named JNHAF) is successfully prepared using a combination of parallel electrospinning and post-polymerization as an example of the study. Highly oriented [2,7-dibromo-9-fluorenone (DF)/gelatin (GE)]//[carbon black (CB)/GE] Janus-type nanoribbon is used as the building block. The composition as well as the arrangement of Janus-type nanoribbons are microscopically designed and regulated to effectively separate the conductive and insulating materials, so that the samples can achieve highly anisotropic conductivity and obvious green fluorescence. When the mass ratio of GE to CB is 1:0.1, the conductive anisotropy ratio of JNHAF can reach 1.12 × 105. The degree of anisotropic conductivity of JNHAF is significantly improved compared with existing reported anisotropic conductive hydrogels, and the preparation method is simple. JNHAF responds quickly to light, tensile strain, and temperature, making it suitable for assembling multi-stimulus responsive sensors. JNHAF has excellent flexibility, degradability, mechanical properties and a certain degree of sensitivity (gauge factor of 4.29), and is used for human joint motion detection with an obvious response signal. The design idea and construction technology of this hydrogel breaks through the technical bottleneck of the low degree of anisotropy of conductive hydrogels, which will lead and expand the scientific frontiers of anisotropic conductive hydrogel materials, and provide novel design ideas and theoretical values for new hydrogel materials.

A bio-based, self-healable, conductive rubber film with oxidized cellulose nanofiber segregated network

Rubber composites are indispensable in all areas of our daily lives. However, the formation of permanent crosslinked networks in rubber materials makes it difficult to recycle, resulting in a non-negligible waste of resources. In this paper, a vulcanization-free, fully bio-sourced rubber composite was prepared by using oxidized natural rubber (oNR) and oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCFs). TOCFs are selectively dispersed between the latex particles to form a segregated network. Meanwhile, the formation of hydrogen-bonding between oxygenated polar groups of oNR and abundant hydroxyl and carboxyl groups of TOCFs improves their interfacial interactions. This special structure promotes strain-induced crystallization (SIC) behavior of oNR matrix, giving its tensile strength up to 14.7 MPa. Furthermore, the oNR/TOCFs film shows excellent self-healing efficiency (96 %) at 40 °C for 5 h. The hygroscopicity of the TOCFs segregated network can turn the oNR/TOCFs film to be a conductive film by regulating the absorbed water content. The film has high conductivity (0.05 S/m) at a water content of 8.99 wt%, and the resistance change (RV/R0) can be varied between 1–5.9 × 10−6 at a water content range of 0–8.99 wt%, which makes it have potential for a wide range of humidity monitoring applications.

Stretchable carbon Nanotube/Ecoflex conductive elastomer films toward multifunctional wearable electronics

Conductive elastomer films (CEFs) have found widespread applications toward flexible electronics and wearable devices. Silicones are particularly advantageous for fabricating high-performance CEFs. However, processing silicone/conductive filler composite prepolymers is challenging because of their high viscosity, especially when incorporating nanofillers like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that can greatly increase the viscosity of silicone prepolymers. Herein, we present a simple, facile and versatile hexane-assisted air-spraying method for fabricating silicone-based CEFs from Ecoflex and CNTs. This method allows for processing CNT/Ecoflex prepolymers with CNT concentrations of 0.5 ∼ 5 wt%, resulting in stretchable CEFs with controllable structural, mechanical and electrical properties. We leveraged the distinct advantages of CNT/Ecoflex CEFs, including the excellent mechanoelectrical sensitivity, workable strain range and elasticity of the CNT1/Ecoflex group, and the high conductivity and low mechanoelectrical sensitivity of the CNT5/Ecoflex group. These properties enable their multifunctional applications as wearable and waterproof resistive strain sensors, multilayered capacitive pressure sensors, and wearable electric heaters. This work provides valuable insights into the development of high-performance and multifunctional silicone-based composite materials for advanced wearable electronics.

Enhanced ferroelectric photovoltaics by interfacial conductivity by stacking of bismuth ferrite and titanium dioxide thin films

Ferroelectric photovoltaic devices were assembled by direct stacking of bismuth ferrite (BFO) thin film with titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin film deposited on fluorine tin oxide (FTO) substrates. An enhanced short-current density of 4.06 mA/cm2 was received. The conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) confirms one order of magnitude increase on the collecting currents after coating of TiO2 on BFO thin film, majorly contributing from the interfaces among TiO2 and BFO particles. The ferroelectric photovoltaics generate an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.66 V and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.18 %, benefiting from the enhanced conductivity of the thin film.

Revealing synergistic relationship of thermal conduction and electromagnetic shielding of reduced graphene oxide film

The present work tries to explore the evolution process of electro-magnetic interference shielding effectiveness and thermal conductivity of graphene film. There is an obvious promotion of electrical conductivity (from 3.51×10-3 to 769.20 S m-1) when GO is thermally reduced at 1100°C. Correspondingly, the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) achieves the highest EMI shielding effectiveness (∼54.84 dB) at 1100°C which is an synergetic result of electrical conductivity and porous structure with rich defects. The rGO is furtherly graphitized at 2800°C (G-rGO) to repair the defects and C-C network and then mechanically rolled to a densified film with bulk density of 1.64 g cm-3 (called as DG-rGO). The thermal conductivity of DG-rGO membrane increases to 720.56 W m-1 K-1 after graphitization and rolling. Porous structure and defects are beneficial to higher EMI shielding effectiveness while dense structure without defects lead to higher thermal conductivity. Therefore, the highest EMI shielding effectiveness and thermal conductivity cannot be obtained simultaneously. A reference range is provided to fulfill the request of EMI shielding and thermal conductivity.

Dual covalent bond induced high thermally conductive polyimide composite films based on CNT@CN complex filler

Dual covalent bond induced high thermally conductive polyimide composite films based on CNT@CN complex filler

Incorporation of polyvinyl alcohol in bacterial cellulose/polypyrrole flexible conductive films to enhance the mechanical and conductive performance

The integration of polypyrrole (PPy) into bacterial cellulose (BC) has provided significant conductivity and cost benefits. However, this combination has led to a reduction in mechanical properties, particularly in terms of elongation at break and tensile strength. This study investigated the enhancement of BC/PPy composite films by incorporating polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The resulting BC/PPy/PVA films demonstrated improvements in flexibility, tensile strength and thermal stability. Specifically, with 7 % PVA, the flexible films exhibited remarkable enhancements: tensile strength increased from 11.01 MPa (for BC/PPy) to 25.27 MPa and elongation at break rose from 5.81 % to 11.54 %. Additionally, the electrical conductivity of the BC/PPy/PVA films with a resistance of 38.5 Ω, surpassed that of the BC/PPy films. Furthermore, the equilibrium swelling water absorption rates of BC/PPy and BC/PPy/PVA films were 30.6 % and 81.4 %, respectively, with corresponding resistances of 530 Ω and 540 Ω. The variation in resistance between the dry and swollen states of the BC/PPy/PVA flexible conductive film resulted in differences in the brightness of the small light bulb. These findings highlighted the synergistic effects of PVA within the BC/PPy matrix, presenting a promising avenue for developing high-performance conductive materials suitable for flexible electronics and wearable devices.

Optoelectronic effect of Al-based buffer layers on Al-doped ZnO thin transparent conductive films on flexible substrates

AZO (Al-doped ZnO) film is a transparent conductive film that offers a simple preparation process, low cost, non-toxicity, and excellent stability. It serves as a high-quality material extensively used in liquid crystal displays, solar cells, and other fields. In this study, AZO thin films were prepared on a PET substrate with an Al2O3 buffer layer using the magnetron sputtering method. The deposition parameters were optimized through the Taguchi method and Grey Correlation Analysis. The results demonstrate that the optimal deposition parameters for achieving superior photoelectric properties during the fabrication of AZO films are 100 W (radio frequency power), 1.0 Pa (sputtering pressure), 20 min (coating time), and 20°C (substrate temperature). Furthermore, the incorporation of an Al2O3 buffer layer enhances the quality of AZO film on PET substrate. This investigation successfully deposited uniform and highly efficient AZO thin films onto flexible PET substrates at low temperatures, thereby expanding their potential applications in flexible electronics.

Highly stretchable and strain-insensitive multilayered electromagnetic interference shielding films prepared via a simple soaking-infiltration strategy

Stretchable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding films are crucial for wearable electronics. However, it is challenging to further endow the EMI shielding films with good stretchability and satisfactory EMI shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) under large strains. Herein, we successfully prepared high-performance stretchable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/ single-walled carbon nanotube buckypaper (SWNT BP)/PDMS EMI shielding films with multi-graded conductive networks via a soaking-infiltration strategy. In this multilayered film, infiltration layers of SWNT/PDMS were particularly created between elastic PDMS and brittle SWNT BP. Owing to the multilayered structure and conductivity compensation effects arising from infiltration layers, our EMI shielding films exhibited excellent EMI SE of 34.2 dB with high stretchability of >400%. The outstanding EMI SE could be well maintained under large strains. At <50% strain, the relative change in EMI SE (|ΔSE/SE0|) remained consistently below 10%, while at even 100% strain, |ΔSE/SE0| was only ∼35%. Furthermore, we proposed a parallel-series hybrid model to describe electrical conduction in straining films. Due to their excellent conductivity under strain, the films could also serve as stretchable Joule heaters. This work provides a novel and simple approach for constructing strain-insensitive conductive films, with potential applications in stretchable EMI shielding and thermal management.

Two-Dimensional (2D) Conductive Metal-Organic Framework Thin Films: The Preparation and Applications in Electrochemistry.

Two-dimensional conductive MOF thin films have attracted attention due to their rich pore structure and unique electrical properties, and their applications in many fields, including batteries, sensing, supercapacitors, electrocatalysis, etc. This paper discusses several preparation methods for 2D conductive MOF thin films. And the applications of 2D conductive MOF thin films are summarized. In addition, the current challenges in the preparation of 2D conductive MOF thin films and the great potential in practical applications are discussed.

High Performance and Colorful Polymer Thermoelectrics with Imprinted Porous Film.

The rapid development of the Internet of Things and wearable electronics has generated growing interest in creating high-performance and visually striking polymer thermoelectric (TE) devices. However, existing polymer TE materials have yet to fully meet these diverse demands. In this study, imprinted porous polymer films are introduced that exhibit both high TE performance and a spectrum of structural colors. The porous architecture not only preserves excellent charge transport properties but also significantly enhances phonon-like scattering, resulting in a more than 50% reduction in thermal conductivity for the PDPPSe-12 film. This leads to a 170% increase in the figure of merit (ZT), achieving a peak value of 0.52 at 363K. Furthermore, the highly ordered porous structure imparts the PDPPSe-12 films with both a wide range of structural colors and remarkable stretchability, making them ideal for wearable TE generators. This approach is widely applicable to various polymeric systems, offering a novel strategy for advancing state-of-the-art plastic TE materials through microstructural engineering.

Nanosized boron nitride-incorporated polyvinyl alcohol composites with TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers as ultrathin thermal interface materials

With the miniaturization and dense packing of electrical devices and mobility platforms, the effective thermal management at the interfaces of components in compact form factors is essential to overcome the performance limits and ensure the stability. Herein, we report the development of assembly of nanosized boron nitrides (BN) and TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (T-CNFs) in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composites as ultrathin thermal interface materials (TIMs). BN nanoparticles (average thickness of 3.8–4.0 nm, lateral size of 90–100 nm, and aspect ratio of 25) were produced with a yield exceeding 80 % from the chemical treatment of hexagonal BN with NaOH and subsequent ball milling. TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (T-CNFs) were added to mechanically reinforce the PVA-based matrix, while by the functionalization with OH– groups, the BN particles dispersed readily in the PVA solution, obtaining ultrathin nanosized BN/PVA/T-CNF composite films (∼50 µm). In contrast to the expected low thermal conductivity due to surface defects and high contact resistances typical of nanosized BN, composite films containing 50 wt% nanosized BN exhibited significantly high in-plane and through-plane thermal conductivities of 11.13 and 1.22 W/mK, respectively. Comparative analysis based on the Lewis–Nielsen model revealed that the size, shape, and agglomeration state of the BN particles could highly influence the thermal conductivity of composite films. Furthermore, heat dissipation experiments reflecting practical conditions demonstrated the outstanding performance and thermal stability of nanosized BN/PVA/T-CNF films as TIMs. This study will inspire rational strategies to facilely incorporate nanosized BN to diverse composites, offering advanced thermal characteristics with mechanical robustness.