Aligned silver nanowires enabled highly stretchable and transparent electrodes with unusual conductive property

Abstract

Transparent conductors for the next generation of soft electronic devices need to be highly stretchable, conductive, and transparent, while an inevitable challenge lies in enhancing them simultaneously. Cost-effective silver nanowires (AgNWs) are widely used but the conventional random network yields a high junction resistance as well as degraded conductivity in the stretched state. Here, a novel, facile, and versatile agitation-assisted assembly approach is reported to control the orientation direction and density of AgNWs and to layer-by-layer deposit the AgNWs monolayer or multilayers onto the prestrained soft substrate. This electrode demonstrates an unprecedented low sheet resistance of 2.8 Ω sq−1 as well as high transparency of 85% and high stretchability of 40%. It is interesting to note that contrary to most other reports, such a device shows higher conductivity in the stretched state compared to the released state.