TY - JOUR
T1 - A synergetic layered inorganic–organic hybrid film for conductive, flexible, and transparent electrodes
AU - Singh, Devendra
AU - Tao, Ran
AU - Lubineau, Gilles
N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): BAS/1/1315-01-01
Acknowledgements: The research reported in this publication was supported by funding from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), under award number BAS/1/1315-01-01. The authors are thankful to Natanael Bolson and Dr. Jian Zhou from our COHMAS Laboratory, KAUST who assisted us with the preparation of the samples. Many thanks also to Ulrich Buttner for helping with the laser cutting, and his general assistance at the spin-coating facilities of Microfluidics Laboratory at KAUST. Thanks to Dr. Miaoxiang Chen and Dr. Wong Kim Chong for their support with the MVD and sputtering tools, respectively, at Nanofabrication Core Laboratory, KAUST.
PY - 2019/5/8
Y1 - 2019/5/8
N2 - 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.Layered electrodes with high conductivity and flexibilityHigh conductivity and flexibility are preferred for flexible electrodes but they usually don’t blend well in one single material. Now the combination is achieved in a layered hybrid film. A team led by Prof Gilles Lubineau from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia design layered transparent electrode with both high flexibility and high conductivity. A thin conductive layer of polymeric PEDOT:PSS is spun-coat on the flexible PET substrate, then the ITO layer is sputtered on top of the PEDOT:PSS layer at low temperature. Despite a simple process, the layered structure combines the advantages of ITO and PEDOT:PSS to show high conductivity under macroscopic strain up to 30%. This approach showcases a delicate way to avoid drawback of the brittleness of ITO and can be adopted in other stretchable and flexible devices.
AB - 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.Layered electrodes with high conductivity and flexibilityHigh conductivity and flexibility are preferred for flexible electrodes but they usually don’t blend well in one single material. Now the combination is achieved in a layered hybrid film. A team led by Prof Gilles Lubineau from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia design layered transparent electrode with both high flexibility and high conductivity. A thin conductive layer of polymeric PEDOT:PSS is spun-coat on the flexible PET substrate, then the ITO layer is sputtered on top of the PEDOT:PSS layer at low temperature. Despite a simple process, the layered structure combines the advantages of ITO and PEDOT:PSS to show high conductivity under macroscopic strain up to 30%. This approach showcases a delicate way to avoid drawback of the brittleness of ITO and can be adopted in other stretchable and flexible devices.
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/652863
UR - http://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s41528-019-0054-4
U2 - 10.1038/s41528-019-0054-4
DO - 10.1038/s41528-019-0054-4
M3 - Article
SN - 2397-4621
VL - 3
JO - npj Flexible Electronics
JF - npj Flexible Electronics
IS - 1
ER -