Nanoengineered Transparent, Free-Standing, Conductive Nanofibrous Membranes

Abstract

Transparent conductive nanofibrous membranes have been successfully fabricated by sputter-coating a metal (Au, Pd, Pt, Ni, Ag, or Au/Pd alloy) onto a water-soluble-polymer nanofibrous template, followed by the dissolution of the template in a water bath. The size of the conductive nanofibers can be facilely controlled by adjusting the diameter of the polymer nanofibers as well as the sputter-coating time. The as-prepared samples were characterized by SEM, TEM, FTIR, and TGA, and the results reveal that the as-prepared conductive nanofibers consist of many metal nanoparticles held together after the dissolution of the polymer template, which is likely due to the coalescence of the metal nanoparticles as well as the bridging effect of the polymer chains between the adjoining metal nanoparticles. The transmittance of the film decreases but the conductivity of the film increases with the time of sputter-coating. The as-prepared transparent nanofibrous membrane also shows good mechanical and metallic properties, and its resistance displays humidity-dependent behavior most likely attributed to the swelling effect of the highly hydrophilic polymer chain that bridges the metal nanoparticles. This study provides a promising route to the facile synthesis of conductive nanofibers, which may have great potential in various applications.

Electrospun Polymer Fibers for Electronic Applications

“…Metal coated nanofibers can be obtained by deposition of the conducting material onto an electrospun polymer template, which can be subsequently removed by thermal treatment or selective washing [ 120 – 122 ]. The method usually involves vacuum techniques ( i.e.…”

An efficient polymer for producing electrospun transparent conducting films through simple procedures and a mild post-process

“…Because of these advantages, several researchers have chosen electrospinning to prepare TCFs. 8 On the whole, the present preparation procedures that researchers utilize can be divided into three types: (1) polymer bers are prepared by electrospinning and then, the metals are deposited onto the surface of the bers via electroplating, 9 sputtering 10,11 or chemical deposition; 12 (2) polymer bers, which contain metal precursors are prepared by electrospinning and then, the polymers are eliminated and the metal precursors decompose into metal nanomaterials under high temperature [13][14][15] or UV light; 16 (3) the metals are deposited onto the substrate and then the polymer bers are prepared by electrospinning on the surface of the metal layer; subsequently, the metal areas that are not covered by the bers are etched and nally the bers are eliminated by heat or solvent to obtain the TCFs. 17,18 Using the abovementioned procedures, many excellent TCFs have been prepared.…”

“…Therefore, polymers are essential materials for electrospinning. At present, polyacrylonitrile (PAN), 20 poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), 21,22 polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), 23,24 poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) 8 and polystyrene (PS) 25 are the most commonly used polymers used in electrospinning. These materials can form outstanding bers but are difficult to be eliminated under mild conditions.…”

Nano- and microstructured silver films synthesised by halide-assisted electroless plating

“…10 Thus, processes that provide control over the micro-and nanostructure of the synthesised materials are of paramount importance. A multitude of techniques is available for the fabrication of Ag films, including electrodeposition, 5 sputter-coating, 11 galvanic replacement, 12 chemical vapour deposition 13 and electroless plating. 4,[7][8][9] The latter constitutes a class of conformal metallisation reactions based on the surface-selective chemical reduction of metal complexes.…”