Chemical resistant silver nanowire/cellulose nanofibril flexible transparent conductive coatings

In this research, a coating method is developed to produce chemical resistant transparent conductive films (TCFs). First, cellulose nanofibers are ultrasonicated to physically untangled into thinner units. Silver nanowires (AgNWs) are then mixed with the ultrasonicated cellulose nanofibers (uCNF), which serve as a dispersion agent for stable coating fluids. After coating on a flexible substrate by a blade coating procedure, the uCNFs wrap over AgNWs to form a thin protecting layer, and the embedded AgNWs exhibit a highly percolating conductive network. As a result, the coating shows not only a low sheet resistance of 7.5 omega/square with a great transparency of 91.5 % transmittance, but also an excellent adhesion under bending conditions. Additionally, the chemical and mechanical stability of the TCF can be further improved by cross-linking with citric acid. The ester bonding between the crosslinked uCNF rods provides a continuous hydrophobic network with a more compact structures for great mechanical stability under bending or ultrasonication conditions. Moreover, the crosslinked TCF shows high chemical tolerance and remain conductive after submerged in strong acid or basic solutions. The crosslinked TCF exhibits a high transparency and conductivity with a high figure of merit factor of 515, much better than many AgNW-based TCF, and can be used for various optoelectronic applications.

Automated summary

A coating method is developed to produce chemical resistant transparent conductive films (TCFs) by mixing ultrasonicated cellulose nanofibers and silver nanowires (AgNWs). The resulting coating shows low sheet resistance, high transparency, excellent adhesion, and remains conductive under harsh conditions. Cross-linking with citric acid further enhances the chemical and mechanical stability of the TCF, making it suitable for optoelectronic applications.