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A Transparent, Smooth, Thermally Robust, Conductive Polyimide for Flexible Electronics
Author(s) -
Spechler Joshua A.,
Koh TaeWook,
Herb Jake T.,
Rand Barry P.,
Arnold Craig B.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201503342
Subject(s) - materials science , polyimide , electrical conductor , indium tin oxide , substrate (aquarium) , nanowire , flexible electronics , composite material , layer (electronics) , thermal stability , coating , optoelectronics , oled , electrode , surface roughness , chemical engineering , chemistry , engineering , geology , oceanography
In this work, a thermally and mechanically robust, smooth transparent conductor composed of silver nanowires embedded in a colorless polyimide substrate is introduced. The polyimide is exceptionally chemically, mechanically, and thermally stable. While silver nanowire networks tend not to be thermally stable to high temperatures, the addition of a titania coating on the nanowires dramatically increases their thermal stability. This allows for the polyimide to be thermally imidized at 360 °C with the silver nanowires in place, creating a smooth (<1 nm root mean square roughness), conductive surface. These transparent conducting substrate‐cum‐electrodes exhibit a conductivity ratio figure of merit of 272, significantly outperforming commercially available indium‐tin‐oxide (ITO)‐coated plastics. The conductive polymide is subjected to various mechanical tests and is used as a substrate for a thermally deposited, flexible, organic light‐emitting diode, which shows improved device performance compared to a control device made on ITO coated glass.