Deformation-induced cold-welding for self-healing of super-durable flexible transparent electrodes

Pre-damaged Au nanomesh flexible transparent electrodes can partly restore to the original resistance by natural relaxing, or cyclic compressing, or cyclic stretching with a strain up to 70%, or random deformations within modest strain ranges. The recovery stems from spontaneous cold-welding of fractured nanowires. This work indicates that cyclic deformation not only causes damage, but may also lead to recovery of flexible transparent electrodes.