Effect of protective layer on enhanced transmittance, mechanical durability, anti-fingerprint, and antibacterial activity of the silver nanoparticles deposited on flexible substrate

Enhanced transmittance, mechanical durability, anti-fingerprint, and antibacterial activity of the silver nanoparticles were investigated using a protective layer (fluoride/SiO2 films) deposited onto the silver nanoparticles (NPs)/polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The 15 nm-thick protective layers deposited onto the dense and the uniformly distributed silver NPs showed comparable transmittance to the PET substrate, compared with that of about 70% (at a wavelength of 450 nm) in samples without a protective layer. In addition, protective layer showed an effective anti-fingerprint and a good mechanical durability after the repeated swipes and touches. The protective layer did not degrade the antibacterial effect of the silver NPs.