Prepolymerization-assisted fabrication of an ultrathin immobilized layer to realize a semi-embedded wrinkled AgNW network for a smart electrothermal chromatic display and actuator

Abstract

Silver nanowire/poly(dimethylsiloxane) (AgNW/PDMS)-based stretchable conductive films are widely studied due to their excellent comprehensive performances mainly derived from the great electrical conductivity of AgNWs together with the excellent mechanical and optical properties of PDMS. However, their further applications have been limited by two fatal shortcomings: the low surface energy of PDMS and poor elongation at break of AgNWs. Herein, an ultrathin PDMS-immobilized layer was prepared to construct a semi-embedded wrinkled AgNW network and overcome the limitations through spin-coating the pre-polymerized PDMS solution. As a result, the as-prepared transparent stretchable AgNW/PDMS composite films with different AgNW loadings demonstrate great transmittance, conductivity, tensile stability under 40% and 60% strains, and adhesion of AgNWs on the PDMS substrate. With a further increase of AgNW loadings, reflective stretchable conductive films were obtained and they showed a much lower sheet resistance (∼0.2 Ω sq⁻¹) and good tensile stability under 70% strain. Based on these stretchable conductive films, stretchable electrothermal chromatic films and electrothermal actuators were fabricated to demonstrate their multifunctional applications.