Abstract
Easy fabrication of super-stretchable electrodes can pave the way for smart and wearable electronics. Using drop casting unidirectional nickel nanowires with polyurethane matrix, we fabricated a super-stretchable film with high electric conductivity. The as-fabricated film can withstand a 300% tensile strain in the direction perpendicular to nanowires, owing to the transformation of percolating nanowire network from 2D to 3D. In contrast to the decreased film conductivities under large tension in most stretchable electrodes, which usually associate with fractures and irreversible deformations, our film conductivity can increase with the applied strain This probably benefits from the enhanced electrical contacts between twisted nanowires under tension The developed super-stretchable film with unprecedented behavior in this work sheds light on the facile fabrication of super-stretchable electrodes with durable performance
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bao Z, Chen X. Flexible and stretchable devices. Adv Mater, 2016, 28: 4177–4179
Lei Z, Wang Q, Sun S, et al. A bioinspired mineral hydrogel as a self-healable, mechanically adaptable ionic skin for highly sensitive pressure sensing. Adv Mater, 2017, 29: 1700321.
Mirvakili S M, Hunter I W. Artificial muscles: Mechanisms, applications, and challenges. Adv Mater, 2018, 30: 1704407
Wen Z, Yeh M H, Guo H, et al. Self-powered textile for wearable electronics by hybridizing fiber-shaped nanogenerators, solar cells, and supercapacitors. Sci Adv, 2016, 2: e1600097
Chortos A, Liu J, Bao Z. Pursuing prosthetic electronic skin. Nat Mater, 2016, 15: 937–950
Lee H, Kim I, Kim M, et al. Moving beyond flexible to stretchable conductive electrodes using metal nanowires and graphenes. Nanoscale, 2016, 8: 1789–1822
Cheng T, Zhang Y, Lai W Y, et al. Stretchable thin-film electrodes for flexible electronics with high deformability and stretchability. Adv Mater, 2015, 27: 3349–3376
Medalia A I. Electrical conduction in carbon black composites. Rubber Chem Tech, 1986, 59: 432–454
Polley M H, Boonstra B B S T. Carbon blacks for highly conductive rubber. Rubber Chem Tech, 1957, 30: 170–179
Noh J S. Conductive elastomers for stretchable electronics, sensors and energy harvesters. Polymers, 2016, 8: 123
Park M, Park J, Jeong U. Design of conductive composite elastomers for stretchable electronics. Nano Today, 2014, 9: 244–260
Yang H, Yao X F, Zheng Z, et al. Highly sensitive and stretchable graphene-silicone rubber composites for strain sensing. Compos Sci Tech, 2018, 167: 371–378
Choi W M, Song J, Khang D Y, et al. Biaxially stretchable “wavy” silicon nanomembranes. Nano Lett, 2007, 7: 1655–1663
Shang Y, He X, Li Y, et al. Super-stretchable spring-like carbon nanotube ropes. Adv Mater, 2012, 24: 2896–2900
Bowden N, Brittain S, Evans A G, et al. Spontaneous formation of ordered structures in thin films of metals supported on an elastomeric polymer. Nature, 1998, 393: 146–149
Lacour S P, Wagner S, Huang Z, et al. Stretchable gold conductors on elastomeric substrates. Appl Phys Lett, 2003, 82: 2404–2406
Gray D, Tien J, Chen C. High-conductivity elastomeric electronics. Adv Mater, 2004, 16: 393–397
Zhang Y, Guo J, Xu D, et al. Synthesis of ultralong copper nanowires for high-performance flexible transparent conductive electrodes: The effects of polyhydric alcohols. Langmuir, 2018, 34: 3884–3893
Liu N, Chortos A, Lei T, et al. Ultratransparent and stretchable graphene electrodes. Sci Adv, 2017, 3: e1700159
Tai Y L, Yang Z G. Flexible, transparent, thickness-controllable SWCNT/PEDOT:PSS hybrid films based on coffee-ring lithography for functional noncontact sensing device. Langmuir, 2015, 31: 13257–13264
Lee P, Lee J, Lee H, et al. Highly stretchable and highly conductive metal electrode by very long metal nanowire percolation network. Adv Mater, 2012, 24: 3326–3332
Zhang L Y, Wang J, Wei L M, et al. Synthesis of ni nanowires via a hydrazine reduction route in aqueous ethanol solutions assisted by external magnetic fields. Nano-Micro Lett, 2009, 1: 49–52
Xu C, Li Z, Yang C, et al. An ultralong, highly oriented nickelnanowire-array electrode scaffold for high-performance compressible pseudocapacitors. Adv Mater, 2016, 28: 4105–4110
Liu H S, Pan B C, Liou G S. Highly transparent AgNW/PDMS stretchable electrodes for elastomeric electrochromic devices. Nanoscale, 2017, 9: 2633–2639
Shin M K, Oh J, Lima M, et al. Elastomeric conductive composites based on carbon nanotube forests. Adv Mater, 2010, 22: 2663–2667
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Additional information
This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2019YFA0705400), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51535005, 51472117, 51702159), the Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures (Grant Nos. MCMS-I-0418K01, MCMS-I-0419K01), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant Nos. NC2018001, NP2019301, NJ2019002), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant Nos. BK20170791, BK20180416), National and Jiangsu Postdoctoral Research Funds (Grant Nos. 2017M610328, 2018T110494 and 1701141B), and A Project Funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.
Supporting Information
The supporting information is available online at tech.scichina.com and link.springer.com. The supporting materials are published as submitted, without typesetting or editing. The responsibility for scientific accuracy and content remains entirely with the authors.
Supporting Information
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Li, J., Niu, J., Li, X. et al. Aligned Ni nanowires towards highly stretchable electrode. Sci. China Technol. Sci. 63, 2131–2136 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-019-1591-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-019-1591-7