Stretchable Transparent Conductive Films Based on Ag Nanowires for Flexible Circuits and Tension Sensors

Stretchable transparent conductive films (STCFs) show great potential for application in flexible electronics. Herein, a facile and scalable method to prepare STCFs based on Ag nanowires (AgNWs) for flexible circuits and tension sensors is introduced for the first time. AgNWs were embedded in a substrate, and its bonding property with the substrate was tested using 3M Scotch tape. The transmittance of STCFs with a sheet resistance of 20 Ω/sq was found to be more than 85% at a wavelength of 550 nm. The STCFs with less than 20 Ω/sq almost stayed constant even after twisting and bending for 10,000 cycles and stretching for 1000 cycles, respectively. Then, the current signal variation was studied using an electrochemical workstation with STCFs stretched periodically. Finally, we fabricated transparent flexible circuits for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and tension sensors for knuckles to detect their real-time motion. The LEDs worked well in the circuits, and the sensor quickly responded to knuckle bending, which demonstrated that STCFs would have good prospects in flexible electronics.