High-performance silver nanowire-based thermopolyurethane flexible conductive films

With the unique flexibility or ductility, and efficient low-cost manufacturing process, flexible electronic devices have attracted a growing interest in scientific research and industry with applications in wearable electronic devices, stretchable antennas, flexible displays, and energy devices. Flexible conductive film (FCF), which functionalizes in building connections between different components of the devices, is key constitutions in flexible devices. We prepared the flexible conductive film with a diameter of approximately 60 nm and a length of 20 μm of silver nanowires (AgNWs) as the fillers and thermopolyurethane (TPU) as the matrix by solution blending and tape casting method. Further, self-made fluorinated decyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (F-POSS) as hydrophobic layer was deposited on the AgNWs-TPU conductive film by immersing method. We systematically studied the properties of electronic conductivity, electrothermal response and infrared radiation (IR) thermal response performances, and superhydrophobic performance of AgNWs-TPU conductive films. The experimental results reveal that as the mass content of AgNWs reaches 30 wt%, the film displays good conductivity, and the resistivity of the film with 40 wt% AgNWs is 0.07 Ω·mm. AgNWs-TPU conductive film has good electrothermal response and IR thermal response performances. The water contact angle of the AgNWs-TPU conductive film with superhydrophobic layer reaches 155.29° ± 1.03 and superhydrophobic AgNWs-TPU conductive film slightly improves the reliability and tensile strength of the AgNWs-TPU conductive film. Our experimental results indicate that the superhydrophobic flexible conductive films prepared in this experiment can be applied to wearable flexible devices.