Uniform metal nanomesh structures are promising candidates that may replace of indium-tin oxide (ITO) in transparent conducting electrodes (TCEs). However, the durability of the uniform metal mesh has not yet been studied. For this reason, a comparative analysis of the durability of TCEs based on pure Ag and AgNi nanomesh, which are fabricated by using simple transfer printing, is performed. The AgNi nanomesh shows high long-term stability to oxidation, heat, and chemicals compared with that of pure Ag nanomesh. This is because of nickel in the AgNi nanomesh. Furthermore, the AgNi nanomesh shows strong adhesion to a transparent substrate and good stability after repeated bending.

The fabrication of uniformly interconnected cupronickel (CuNi) micromesh films on glass and polymer substrates with seamless junctions has been achieved using a simple transfer printing method. When used as a transparent heater, these CuNi micromesh films exhibited an effective and rapid heating performance at low input voltages (below DC 9 V) that can be attributed to the creation of a high quality network over the whole surface area that offers a relatively high transmittance, strong adhesion to its substrate and good mechanical flexibility. A high thermal stability and reliability was also observed relative to a pure Cu micromesh film. Transparent heaters based on CuNi micromesh are therefore considered suitable for providing anti-fogging or de-icing in optics and optoelectronic devices, as well as for wearable heating systems.

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