Insertion of a biocompatible polymer bewteen graphene and silver nanowires for novel flexible transparent electrode

- Biocompatible polylactic acid (PLA) as graphene-transfer polymer didn't need to be removed.
- A sandwiched-structure transparent electrode was prepared by embedding PLA layer between graphene and AgNWs.
- The transparent electrode exhibited outstanding chemical and electrical stability.
- A pressure-sensitive liquid crystal device was fabricated based on flexible transparent electrodes.

Strongly adhesive and highly stable transparent electrodes based on graphene and silver nanowires (AgNWs) have been developed by embedding biocompatible polylactic acid (PLA) between them. In the process of fabrication of such electrode, instead of removing the supporting PLA layer, this biocompatible polymer layer is sandwiched between graphene and AgNWs, thus simplifying the technology process. In comparison with the traditional graphene/AgNWs hybrid electrode, this novel hybrid electrode exhibits similar optical and electrical properties (around 84.0% at 550 nm, sheet resistance is 13.6 Ω/sq). Remarkably, the surface topography and mechanical flexibility of hybrid film is greatly enhanced due to the introduction of PLA layer. In addition to these, the PLA layer could also provide extra protection to AgNWs locating at the bottom as well as enhanced adhesion force to the substrate, thereby yielding outstanding chemical and electrical stability of the hybrid film. To demonstrate the potential application of the hybrid electrode, a pressure-addressing/electric-erasing liquid crystal device has been constructed, which shows a comfortable optical-electric performance. The strategy demonstrated here could contribute to strong adhesive and highly stable transparent electrodes in flexible optoelectronic devices.

A new strategy has been demonstrated to be capable of optimizing the graphene-AgNWs hybrid electrode by embedding a biocompatible polymer PLA and this hybrid electrode for the application of pressure-sensitive LC device has also been described.171