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Highly stretchable and transparent nanomesh electrodes made by grain boundary lithography
Chuan Fei Guo1, Tianyi Sun1, Qihan Liu2
1Department of Physics and TcSUH, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, USA.
Nature Communications
|January 29, 2014
Summary
Researchers developed highly stretchable and transparent gold nanomesh electrodes for advanced electronics. These new conductors maintain electrical stability under significant strain, enabling applications in foldable devices and artificial muscles.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Electrical Engineering
Background:
- Foldable photoelectronics and muscle-like transducers require materials that are both highly stretchable and transparent.
- Existing transparent conductors like conducting oxides lack stretchability, while carbon nanotube films, graphene sheets, and metal-nanowire meshes exhibit significant resistance increases under strain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop highly stretchable and transparent electrical conductors for advanced electronic applications.
- To overcome the limitations of current materials in terms of stretchability and electrical stability under strain.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of gold (Au) nanomesh electrodes on elastomers using grain boundary lithography.
- Characterization of the electrodes' electrical resistance and transparency under various strain conditions and cycles.
Main Results:
- The developed Au nanomesh electrodes demonstrate modest changes in sheet resistance even after a ~160% strain (from ~21 Ω/sq to ~67 Ω/sq).
- The electrodes maintain stability after 1,000 cycles at 50% strain.
- Enhanced stretchability is attributed to out-of-plane nanomesh deflection and substrate-stabilized distributed slits in Au wires.
Conclusions:
- The highly stretchable and transparent Au nanomesh electrodes are a promising advancement for foldable photoelectronics and muscle-like transducers.
- The unique fabrication method and material design offer a pathway to robust, strain-tolerant transparent conductors.
