Wrinkled titanium nitride nanocomposite for robust bendable electrodes.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Electrical contacts are essential for electronic devices, with a growing need for flexible and durable electrodes in wearable technology.
• Existing materials like Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) and silver nanowires (Ag NWs) have limitations in terms of mechanical robustness or conductivity for demanding flexible applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize novel, robust, and bendable coatings for flexible electronic applications.
• To investigate the electro-mechanical properties of titanium nitride (TiN) and silver nanowire (Ag NW) nanocomposites for enhanced performance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of TiN and TiN-AgNWs nanocomposite coatings on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates using plasma enhanced pulsed laser deposition (PLD).
• Tuning sheet resistance via dual-frequency PLD and Ag NW incorporation.
• In-situ four-probe resistance measurements during cyclic bending tests to evaluate electro-mechanical robustness.

Main Results:

• Achieved low sheet resistance down to [Formula: see text] Ω/□ for TiN-AgNWs nanocomposites.
• Demonstrated superior electro-mechanical robustness compared to ITO and Ag NWs coatings.
• Nanocomposites withstood high strain fatigue loading (up to 2.6%) with sheet resistance below 5 Ω/□ and minimal optical transmittance decrease (≈11%).

Conclusions:

• TiN-AgNWs nanocomposites are promising materials for flexible electronic devices due to their excellent conductivity and mechanical stability.
• Incorporation of Ag NWs into TiN coatings effectively enhances mechanical robustness and limits crack propagation.
• These findings pave the way for advanced wearable electronics with improved durability and performance.