Electric field driven printing of repeatable random metal meshes for flexible transparent electrodes. (January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Hongke; Zi, Denghua; Zhu, Xiaoyang; Zhang, Houchao; Tai, Yuping; Wang, Rui; Sun, Luanfa; Zhang, Youchao; Ge, Wensong; Huang, Youqi; Liu, Gang; Yang, Wenchao; Yang, Jianjun; Lan, Hongbo
• Is Part Of: Optics & laser technology. Volume 157(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-01
• Subjects: Electric field driven printing -- Vertical jet printing -- Flexible transparent electrodes -- Random metal meshes -- Moiré fringe; Optics -- Periodicals; Lasers -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 621.366
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optlastec.2022.108730
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0030-3992

Abstract

Highlights: A controlled high-resolution random metal mesh fabrication was fabricated via electric field driven printing technology. The vertical jet printing process eliminates the mismatch between random metal grid design and manufacturing. The fabricated random metal meshes show good potential for application in flexible touch screens. Abstract: Electrohydrodynamic jet printing technology is recognized as one of the most desirable solutions for direct printing of metal meshes. However, electrohydrodynamic jet printing technology makes it difficult to achieve reproducible printing of random metal meshes due to the low stability as well as controllability of the cone jets. Here, a simple and cost-effective printing technique for fabricating flexible transparent electrodes with controlled knot-free random metal meshes was proposed. The simple and green fabrication of transparent electrodes with different random metal meshes was achieved by precisely adjusting the printing process parameters. The sheet resistance variation of the manufactured FTEs with random metal mesh was less than 10 %, showing excellent reliability and stability and environmental adaptability, demonstrating better optoelectronic performance, after 1000 cycles of bending, 180 cycles of adhesion testing, and 72 h of damp heat testing. More importantly, the diffraction experiments show that the fabricated random metal meshes can reduce the negative effects of higher-order diffraction and eliminate the moiré fringe phenomenon. A flexible touch screen application demonstrated the practicality of manufactured FTEs with random metal mesh (area: 80 mm × 130 mm, sheet resistance: 16 Ω/sq, transmittance: 86 %). The proposed method offers a very promising strategy for the efficient and green integrated fabrication of random metal meshes.