Synthesizing a Healable Stretchable Transparent Conductor

We report the first demonstration of a healable stretchable transparent electrode comprising a silver nanowire (AgNW) network and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT) hybrid layer in the surface of a Diels-Alder elastomer substrate. The thin PEDOT layer solders the silver nanowires and confines the nanowire network in the substrate surface. The bonding between the nanowires and PEDOT is tuned via ethanol-water wetting, which allows for large-strain prestretching of the AgNW network. The composite electrode prepared via such a wetting and prestretching treatment has a figure-of-merit sheet resistance of 15 ohm/sq with 78% transmittance at 550 nm and can be stretched by 100% strain. Damages caused by razor blade cutting on the conductive surface could be healed, and the damaging-healing could be repeated for three times at the same location. The healed electrode exhibits similar resistance-strain response as the fresh electrode because of the PEDOT layer being capable of circumventing broken nanowire sites. Fatigue-induced damages after 100 cycles of 60% strain can also be healed by simple heating.