Highly reliable strontium tin oxide/copper nanowire composite flexible transparent conductive thin films

Flexible transparent conductive films based on copper nanowires (Cu NWs) are used in a variety of optoelectronic devices. However, their use is limited due to poor stability and adhesion. Herein, highly reliable flexible transparent conductive thin films consisting of SrSnO 3 (STO) and Cu NWs are fabricated using a combination of spin-coating and radio frequency magnetron sputtering techniques. The optical and electrical properties can be modified by changing the number of spin-coating cycle of Cu NWs. The STO thin films can effectively improve optical–electric performance of Cu NWs (before coating STO: 22.1 Ω/sq. at 81.5%, after coating STO: 18.7 Ω/sq. at 82.8%). Furthermore, after 20 tape tests and 2000 bending cycles (with a bending radius of 5.0 mm), the resistance of STO/Cu NW composites remains unchanged, demonstrating exceptional mechanical flexibility and adhesion retention. In addition, the composites show higher stability to high-temperature and high-humidity conditions, oxidation, corrosion, and sulfidation compared with that of Cu NW networks, which is due to the effective covering of STO layer. The combination of these characteristics makes the composite thin films an excellent candidate for substrates of novel flexible optoelectronic devices.