Fabrication of patterned transparent conductive glass via laser metal transfer for efficient electrical heating and antibacteria

Vapor deposition and three-dimensional (3D) printing technology are considered to be conventional methods to achieve patterned metal film preparation through the assistance of masks and high temperature. Therefore, there are still some challenges in fabricating metal films in template-free and normal temperature environment. In this work, we report a flexible and rapid laser metal transfer (LMT) technique for fabricating the various metal films (Cu, Ni, Sn, Al, Fe, and Ag) with different patterns without templates on arbitrary substrates (glass, polyimide (PI) films, and aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramic). Especially, the obtained transparent conductive glass displays high transmittance (more than 90%) and adjustable resistances (approximate to 5 Omega). According to the Joule effect, the interface resistance between Cu particles and copper oxide coating produces the high temperature approximately 280 degrees C at 2 V in a short time (approximate to 60 s) and remains stable at 120 degrees C over 12 h. At last, the multifunctional glass with Cu patterns also shows excellent bactericidal activity (approximate to 95%). This work demonstrates that laser metal transfer is an exceeding effective means of fabricating the micro/nano structures with potential applications in functional devices.

Automated summary

This study presents a flexible and rapid laser metal transfer (LMT) technique for fabricating various metal films with different patterns on arbitrary substrates. The obtained transparent conductive glass demonstrates high transmittance (more than 90%) and adjustable resistance. Additionally, the technique shows excellent bactericidal activity.