Development of highly stable multifunctional transparent electronic devices based on AgNWs/SiO2/AZO TCF with improved mechanical and optical performance

Currently, silver nanowires (AgNWs) are among the most widely studied materials for flexible transparent electronics. Nevertheless, their practical implementation is hindered by inherent limitations in environmental stability and mechanical robustness. To address these challenges, this study presents a straightforward fabrication approach for a multifunctional flexible transparent conductive film (TCF) that exhibits superior mechanical integrity and long-term stability. Through simple solution processing, multiple functional layers were constructed on a flexible substrate. Among them, AgNWs serve as the conductive layer, SiO 2 NPs as the anti-reflection layer, and AZO as the protective layer. Accordingly, an AgNWs/SiO 2 /AZO TCF (ASZ) was fabricated, exhibiting a sheet resistance of 2.85 Ω/sq, a transmittance of 80.8% at 550 nm, and a figure of merit (FoM) value of 588. This TCF not only combines Joule heating and electromagnetic shielding but can also be used to fabricate OLED devices. A transparent Joule heating device fabricated from this TCF achieves a rapid thermal response, reaching 130 °C at 3 V while maintaining stable operation over extended durations. Furthermore, the film delivers an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness of 32 dB across the X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz). Critically, owing to the outstanding oxidation resistance and superior surface planarity of the AZO layer, the film’s sheet resistance increases by only 24% after a rigorous 70-day aging test under ambient conditions. When employed as the anode in OLED devices, the TCF enables a maximum luminance of 17,400 cd/m 2 . Collectively, this work establishes a scalable, simple, and highly stable strategy for developing multifunctional transparent electronic devices. Download: Download high-res image (324KB) Download: Download full-size image