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Silver Nanowire-Based Printable Electrothermochromic Ink for Flexible Touch-Display Applications
Nitheesh M Nair1,2, Ishani Khanra3, Debdutta Ray2
1Electronic Materials and Thin Films Lab, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|July 15, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed a printable electrothermochromic material using silver nanowires and thermochromic powders. This flexible, low-cost material enables low-power, reversible color-changing displays and touch sensors on various substrates.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electronics Engineering
- Display Technology
Background:
- Flexible, lightweight, low-power, and low-cost displays are highly sought after in the electronics industry.
- Existing display technologies often face limitations in flexibility, cost, or power consumption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel composite electrothermochromic material for flexible display applications.
- To investigate the material's properties, including color change, printability, flexibility, and durability.
- To demonstrate the material's potential for integrated display and touch sensing functionalities.
Main Methods:
- A composite material was synthesized using silver nanowires (Ag NWs) and thermochromic powders.
- The composite was formulated into a printable ink for single-step patterned deposition.
- The material's electrochromic behavior, printability on flexible substrates (paper, PET), and mechanical durability (10,000 bending cycles) were characterized.
- A low-power seven-segment color display and a combined display/touch sensor were fabricated.
Main Results:
- The composite material exhibits reversible color change upon electrical biasing due to Joule heating.
- The material can be processed at a low temperature (100 °C), enabling compatibility with flexible substrates.
- The encapsulated material demonstrated good flexibility and durability, functioning after 10,000 bending cycles with minimal resistance change (<7%).
- A functional seven-segment color display and a dual-function display/touch sensor were successfully fabricated.
Conclusions:
- The developed printable electrothermochromic composite offers a promising solution for low-cost, flexible, and low-power displays.
- The material's ability to function as both a display and a touch sensor simplifies device architecture.
- Potential applications include interactive electronic readers, digital posters, and flexible digital signboards.
