Issue 2, 2018

A graphene mesh as a hybrid electrode for foldable devices

Abstract

A graphene mesh with arrays of micro-holes was fabricated on a polymer substrate using photolithography for use as an electrode in flexible devices. The optimal mesh structure with high optical transmittance and electrical conductivity was designed using a finite element method, in which the conductivity of the mesh was simulated as a function of structure, size, and periodicity of the hole array. The sheet resistance of the graphene mesh was lowered to that of a graphene monolayer by chemical doping and found to be 330 Ω Sq−1 at 98.5% transparency. The figure of merit of the doped graphene mesh was calculated to be 106 at 98% transmittance, a value that has not yet been reported for any conventional transparent electrode material. Due to strong bonding between the polymer and substrate, the hybrid electrode composed of a silver nanowire (AgNW)/graphene mesh coated with an over-coating layer exhibited more stable electrical characteristics during mechanical fatigue deformation compared to a hybrid film composed of a AgNW/graphene sheet. The AgNW/graphene sheet underwent breakdown at less than 20 000 cycles in cyclic bending tests with 6.5% strain, but the AgNW/graphene mesh showed a 38% increase in resistance at 20 000 cycles and no breakdown even at 100 000 cycles. Therefore, in this study, we propose a hybrid structure composed of a AgNW/graphene mesh, which is optically and mechanically superior to AgNW/graphene sheets, and therefore suitable for application as a transparent electrode in foldable devices with long-term stability.

Graphical abstract: A graphene mesh as a hybrid electrode for foldable devices

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 Sept. 2017
Accepted
24 Nov. 2017
First published
27 Nov. 2017

Nanoscale, 2018,10, 628-638

A graphene mesh as a hybrid electrode for foldable devices

E. H. Cho, M. J. Kim, H. Sohn, W. H. Shin, J. Y. Won, Y. Kim, C. Kwak, C. S. Lee and Y. S. Woo, Nanoscale, 2018, 10, 628 DOI: 10.1039/C7NR07086A

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