A synergetic layered inorganic–organic hybrid film for conductive, flexible, and transparent electrodes

Abstract

Conductive electrodes are major components of flexible optoelectronic devices. However, existing materials are either very conductive but brittle (e.g., ITO [indium tin-oxide]), or non-brittle but less conductive, with an environment-dependent conductivity (e.g., PEDOT:PSS [poly-(3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene): poly (styrene sulfonic acid)]). Here, we propose a new design that simultaneously takes advantage of both the high conductivity of ITO and the high flexibility of PEDOT:PSS. In our design, a PEDOT: PSS interface is inserted between the film substrate and the ITO layer, creating a hybrid layered structure that retains both its high conductivity and high stability, when the film is deformed. The rational behind the creation of this structure, is that PEDOT:PSS, used as an interface between the locally delaminated ITO layer and the substrate, substantially reduces the detrimental effects of cracks on the electrode's conductivity. These results open the path for a new generation of transparent electrodes in advanced flexible devices.npj Flexible Electronics (2019) 3:10 ; https://doi.

Thin‐Metal‐Film‐Based Transparent Conductors: Material Preparation, Optical Design, and Device Applications

“…While there are ongoing researches to improve the optoelectronic properties and mechanical flexibilities of ITO on flexible substrates by investigating the underlying mechanism, [ 8,9 ] adjusting its deposition procedure, [ 10–12 ] or exploiting hybrid structures incorporating ITO and other conductive materials, [ 13–18 ] more intensive research efforts have been devoted to developing flexible transparent conductors based on ITO‐free materials, such as conductive polymers, [ 19–21 ] carbon‐based materials, [ 22–25 ] patterned metal grids, [ 26–33 ] metal nanowires, [ 34–42 ] and thin metal films. [ 43–48 ] Though conductive polymers and carbon‐based materials improve the mechanical flexibility of transparent conductors, their relatively low conductivity could limit the conductors’ electrical performance.…”

Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Materials and Interfaces With Mixed Ionic-Electronic Transport Properties: Advances in Experimental and Theoretical Approaches

“…The electronic interactions in h OI materials have been extensively studied particularly for sensing, energy storage and energy conversion applications ( Kumar et al, 2018 ; Singh et al, 2019 ; Duan et al, 2020 ; Niederhausen et al, 2021 ; Rathnayake et al, 2021 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ). The electronic interactions in these h OI materials and interfaces are mostly via proximity of the π -cloud of the organic phase with the inorganic surface, and thus Class I h OI materials are the most studied for these purposes.…”

“…The later reports comprise h OI materials based on different electronic conducting polymers with ZnO, TiO 2 and In-doped SnO 2 (ITO) inorganic nanostructures or surfaces ( Moet et al, 2007 ; Bouclé et al, 2008 ; Dridi et al, 2008 ; Lin et al, 2009 ; Chandrasekaran et al, 2011 ; Aashish et al, 2016 ; Ikram et al, 2016 ). However, only a few studies have provided more fundamental insights on the electronic interactions and correlations with structural features for h OI materials and interfaces ( Schlesinger et al, 2013 ; Whittaker-Brooks et al, 2014 ; Mombrú et al, 2017b ; Mombrú et al, 2018 ; Singh et al, 2019 ).…”

Research Progress of Transparent Electrode Materials with Sandwich Structure

“…In a study by Singh et al [ 56 ], organic materials were combined with ITO films to prepare a transparent flexible conductive film with high light transmittance and high electrical conductivity along with excellent bending and stretching properties. In the study, a two-layer structure was deposited on a PET substrate.…”

“…Nevertheless, there are still some structures that are worth studying, and several of the above studies show that certain polymers with outstanding physical properties lead to a relatively large improvement in the overall performance of the corresponding composite electrodes. Future research could be devoted to compensating for the shortcomings in the physical properties of these polymers through other structures, such as the enhancement of mechanical properties by the NF-r-CA layer in the first study and the maintenance of electrical conductivity after bending by the PEDOT:PSS layer in the second study [ 55 , 56 ].…”