Flexible and transparent gold network electrodes on fluorinated graphene

Abstract

In the metal deposition process, the interface between the metal and the substrate plays a crucial role in determining the morphology and characteristics of the metal films. Depending on the surface conditions of the substrates, these metal films may either form discrete islands or uniform, continuous layers. The unique characteristics of graphene, characterized by its atomically smooth surface and the absence of dangling bonds, tend to favor island-type metal deposition, posing challenges for creating continuous films. Here, we demonstrate flexible and transparent gold network electrodes on fluorinated graphene (FG). We first produce monolayer graphene by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and then apply fluorination using XeF₂, which introduces sp³ bonds to the graphene surface. A 5 nm-thick gold film deposited by e-beam evaporation displays a mesh-like structure on FG, achieving a notable transparency of 80.2% and a conductivity of 1.66 Ω □⁻¹. Moreover, the gold network electrode on FG shows exceptional flexibility and durability, enduring significant bending strains of 9.4% and a fatigue test of 100 cycles with a minimal resistance change of ∼10⁻². Our work provides a direct method for crafting ultrathin gold network electrodes that boast remarkable transparency and flexibility, offering promising avenues for applications in bendable and transparent electronics.