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Updated: May 10, 2026
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A Fabrication Method for Highly Stretchable Conductors with Silver Nanowires
Published on: January 21, 2016
A healable, semitransparent silver nanowire-polymer composite conductor.
Chaokun Gong1, Jiajie Liang, Wei Hu
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|June 25, 2013
Summary
Researchers developed a flexible, conductive composite material that can self-heal electrical conductivity after being cut. This novel material recovers 97% of its conductivity in just 5 minutes with gentle heating.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Developing self-healing materials is crucial for extending the lifespan and reliability of electronic devices.
- Existing conductive materials often lack flexibility or efficient self-repair capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate a novel semitransparent composite conductor with enhanced self-healing properties.
- To investigate the structural and electrical recovery of the composite after mechanical damage.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a composite using a silver nanowire percolation network within a Diels-Alder-based healable polymer.
- Testing the conductivity and flexibility of the composite.
- Assessing the self-healing efficiency through repeated cutting and heating cycles.
Main Results:
- The composite exhibited high conductivity and flexibility.
- Complete electrical conductivity loss after cutting was recovered by 97% within 5 minutes upon heating at 110 °C.
- The material demonstrated robust, repeatable healing at the same location over multiple cycles.
Conclusions:
- The developed composite conductor offers a promising solution for durable and repairable electronic applications.
- The Diels-Alder chemistry enables efficient, rapid electrical and structural self-healing.
- This material has potential applications in flexible electronics, wearable devices, and sensors.
