Highly Transparent, Flexible and Conductive CNF/AgNW Paper for Paper Electronics

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Electronics

Background:

• Conductive paper offers advantages like low cost and flexibility but is typically opaque and rigid, limiting its use in electronics.
• Existing conductive papers lack the transparency and flexibility required for advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a highly transparent, flexible, and conductive paper.
• To overcome the limitations of opacity and rigidity in conventional conductive papers.
• To explore a new fabrication method for paper-based green electronics.

Main Methods:

• Mixing cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) with silver nanowires (AgNWs).
• Plasticizing the mixture using a choline chloride/urea solvent.
• Characterizing the resulting paper's transparency, flexibility, and conductivity.

Main Results:

• Achieved high transparency (~90% transmittance) and flexibility (~27% strain).
• Demonstrated low sheet resistance of 56 Ω/sq.
• Showcased excellent stability with minimal resistance change (~1.1%) after 3000 bending cycles.

Conclusions:

• The developed CNF/AgNW paper exhibits superior transparency and flexibility compared to conventional conductive papers.
• The fabrication method offers a promising route for creating stable, high-performance paper-based electronics.
• This advancement has the potential to drive the development of green electronics and novel wearable devices.