Flexible carbon nanotube-enriched silver electrode films with high electrical conductivity and reliability prepared by facile screen printing

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2017.06.008

Abstract

Abstract:

Flexible electrode films play critical and fundamental roles in the successful development of flexible electronic devices. In this study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were implanted into silver (Ag) ink to enhance the electrical conductivity and the reliability of the printed Ag electrode films. The fabricated carbon nanotubes-enriched silver (Ag-CNTs) electrode films were printed on the polyimide substrates by a facile screen printing method and sintered at a relatively low temperature. The resistivity of Ag-CNTs films was decreased by 62.27% compared with the pure Ag film. Additionally, the Ag-CNTs films exhibited excellent flexibility under a bending radius of 4 mm (strain ε = 2.09%) over 1000 cycles. Furthermore, the Ag-CNTs film displayed unchangeable electrical conductivity together with a strong adhesion after an accelerated aging test with 500 thermal shock cycles. These improvements were attributed to the Ag-CNTs interconnected network structure, which can provide electronic transmission channels and prevent cracks from initiating and propagating.

Key words: Flexible silver electrode films, Carbon nanotubes, Screen printing, Electrical conductivity, Reliability, Adhesion strength

Hu Dan, Zhu Wei, Peng Yuncheng, Shen Shengfei, Deng Yuan. Flexible carbon nanotube-enriched silver electrode films with high electrical conductivity and reliability prepared by facile screen printing[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2017, 33(10): 1113-1119.

Figures/Tables 8

Fig. 1. Schematic illustration of specific preparation process of Ag-CNTs films.

Fig. 2. (a) TG curve of Ag ink heated in Ar atmosphere from 25 °C to 400 °C with a heating rate of 10 °C min-1; (b) flexible Ag film printed on PI after sintering.

Fig. 3. Representative SEM images of Ag films on PI sintered at different temperatures: (a) ambient; (b) 250 °C; (c) 300 °C; (d) 350 °C; (e) resistivity and (f) bending test results at bending radius r = 8 mm (ε = 1.09%) of Ag films.

Fig. 4. (a) Electrical resistivity of Ag films with and without CNTs sintered at 300 °C for 1 h; (b) SEM image of Ag-CNTs film showing CNTs as “bridge” for connecting neighboring Ag particles.

Fig. 5. Relative electrical resistivity (ρ/ρ0) of Ag and Ag-CNTs films after (a) various cycles at a bending radius r = 8 mm (ε = 1.09%) and (b) 1000 bending cycles for various bending radius and strains.

Fig. 6. SEM images of Ag (a, b) and Ag-CNTs (c, d) films before bending test (a, c) and after 1000-cycle bending (r = 4 mm) (b, d).

Fig. 7. Adhesive strength of Ag films with and without CNTs sintered at different temperatures according to ASTM D3359 tape test.

Fig. 8. (a) Relative electrical resistivity (ρ/ρ0) of Ag films and Ag-CNTs films as function of thermal shock cycles; (b) surface images of films and tapes after scotch tape test showing adhesive strength of Ag-CNTs films and Ag films after 500 thermal shock cycles; SEM images of (c) Ag-CNTs and (d) Ag films after 500 thermal shock cycles.

References

[1]	S. Jung, S.J. Chun, J.T. Han, J.S. Woo, C. Shon, G. Lee, Nanoscale 8 (2016)5343-5349.
[2]	S. Sun, Z. Pan, W. Zhang, F.K. Yang, Y. Huang, B. Zhao, J. Mater.Sci.- Mater.Electron..27(2016) 4363-4371.
[3]	W. Zhu, Y. Deng, M. Gao, Y. Wang, Energ. Convers. Manage. 106(2015)1192-1200.
[4]	S.R. Forrest, Nature 428 (2004) 911-918.
[5]	T. Cheng, Y. Zhang, W. Lai, W. Huang, Adv. Mater. 27(2015) 3349-3376.
[6]	A. Nathan, A. Ahnood, M.T. Cole, S. Lee, Y. Suzuki, P. Hiralal, F. Bonaccorso, T.Hasan, L. Garcia-Gancedo, A. Dyadyusha, P.IEEE..100(2012)1486-1517.
[7]	K.S. Siow, J. AlloysCompd..514(2012) 6-19.
[8]	W.J. Hyun, S. Lim, B.Y. Ahn, J.A. Lewis, C.D. Frisbie, L.F. Francis, ACS Appl.Mater. Int. 7(2015) 12619-12624.
[9]	S. Yao, Y. Zhu, Adv. Mater. 27(2015) 1480-1511.
[10]	C. Huo, Z. Yan, X. Song, H. Zeng, Sci. Bull. 60(2015) 1994-2008.
[11]	E. Jabari, E. Toyserkani, Mater. Lett. 174(2016) 40-43.
[12]	S. Joo, S. Park, C. Moon, H. Kim, ACS Appl. Mater. Int. 7(2015) 5674-5684.
[13]	K. Chun, Y. Oh, J. Rho, J. Ahn, Y. Kim, H.R. Choi, S. Baik, Nat. Nanotechnol. 5(2010) 853-857.
[14]	W. He, C. Ye, J. Mater.Sci.Technol..31(2015) 581-588.
[15]	F. Xu, M. Wu, N.S. Safron, S.S. Roy, R.M. Jacobberger, D.J. Bindl, J. Seo, T. Chang,Z. Ma, M.S. Arnold, Nano Lett. 14(2014) 682-686.
[16]	L. Cai, C. Wang, Nanoscale Res. Lett. 10(2015) 1013.
[17]	D. Hu, X. He, L. Sun, G. Xu, L. Jiao, L. Zhao, Sci. Bull. 61(2016) 917-920.
[18]	Y. Aleeva, B. Pignataro, J. Mater. Chem. C 2 (2014) 6436-6453.
[19]	O. El Baradai, D. Beneventi, F. Alloin, R. Bongiovanni, N. Bruas-Reverdy, Y.Bultel, D. Chaussy, J. Mater.Sci.Technol..32(2016) 566-572.
[20]	P.Y.Le Gac, V.Le Saux, M. Paris, Y. Marco, Polym. Degrad. Stabil. 97(2012)288-296.
[21]	S.X. Hu, X. Chen, Y. Deng, Y. Wang, H. Gao, W. Zhu, L. Cao, B. Luo, Z. Zhu, G. Ma,Funct. Mater. Lett. 8(2015) 1550032.
[22]	S. Choi, K. Kim, S. Jeong, H. Choi, Y.S. Lim, W. Seo, I. Kim, J. Electron.Mater..41(2012) 1004-1010.
[23]	Y. Lee, Y. Choa, J. Mater.Chem..22(2012) 12517-12522.
[24]	E.V. Agina, A.S. Sizov, M.Y. Yablokov, O.V. Borshchev, A.A. Bessonov, M.N.Kirikova, M.J.A.Bailey, S.A. Ponomarenko, ACS Appl. Mater. Int. 7(2015)11755-11764.
[25]	C. Lu, Z. Ji, G. Xu, W. Wang, L. Wang, Z. Han, L. Li, M. Liu, Sci. Bull. 61(2016)1081-1096.
[26]	K. Kim, W. Myung, S. Jung, Electron. Mater. Lett. 8(2012) 309-314.
[27]	C.J. Wu, S.L. Cheng, Y.J. Sheng, H.K. Tsao, RSC Adv. 5(2015) 53275-53279.
[28]	R. Ma, D. Suh, J. Kim, J. Chung, S. Baik, J. Mater.Chem..21(2011)7070-7073.
[29]	J. Luo, Z. Cheng, C. Li, L. Wang, C. Yu, Y. Zhao, M. Chen, Q. Li, Y. Yao, Compos.Sci. Technol. 129(2016) 191-197.
[30]	M.N. Kirikova, E.V. Agina, A.A. Bessonov, A.S. Sizov, O.V. Borshchev, A.A. Trul,A.M. Muzafarov, S.A. Ponomarenko, J. Mater. Chem. C 4 (2016)2211-2218.