Low Cost and Facile Fabrication of a Micro-Mold with High Aspect Ratio for Transparent Electrodes with Metal Mesh Using Micro-Scale 3D Printing

Transparent electrodes (TEs) with metal mesh are regarded as a substitute for traditional indium tin oxide (ITO) due to their excellent optoelectronic properties. The manufacture of metal mesh based on micro-molds will be a low-cost and high-efficiency method, but the cost-effective fabrication of micro-molds with a high aspect ratio (AR) currently faces challenges. Here, a polymer micro-mold with high AR based on an electric-field-driven (EFD) micro-scale 3D printing and molding process is proposed for the mass production of TEs with metal meshes. The final fabricated flexible transparent electrode (FTE) based on polymer micro-mold with high AR exhibits superior optoelectronic properties with a figure of merit (FOM) of 1800, as well as excellent mechanical stability with a slight increase in the sheet resistance (R-s) during cyclic bending, scratching, torsion, and adhesion tests. Furthermore, the fabricated rigid TE based on polymer micro-mold shows remarkable performance and stability with a FOM of 2500, a negligible increase in the R-s under harsh working conditions, and a robust heating cycle. Whether used for the manufacture of FTEs or rigid TEs, the polymer micro-mold shows good service life. This strategy provides support for the efficient and environmentally friendly mass production of high-performance TEs.

Automated summary

A method for fabricating transparent electrodes using polymer micro-molds is proposed, enabling efficient and environmentally friendly mass production.