Micropatterning Silver Nanowire Networks on Cellulose Nanopaper for Transparent Paper Electronics

Transparent microelectrodes with high bendability are necessary to develop lightweight, small electronic devices that are highly portable. Here, we report a reliable fabrication method for transparent and highly bendable microelectrodes based on conductive silver nanowires (AgNWs) and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxy (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). The AgNW-based micropatterns were simply fabricated on glass via poly(ethylene glycol) photolithography and then completely transferred to transparent TEMPO-CNF nanopaper with high bendability via vacuum-assisted microcontact printing (μCP). The AgNW micropatterns were embedded in the surface layer of TEMPO-CNF nanopaper, enabling strong adhesion to the nanopaper substrate. The resulting AgNW micropatterns on the TEMPO-CNF nanopaper showed an optical transparency of 82% at 550 nm and a sheet resistance of 54 Ω/sq when the surface density of AgNWs was as low as 12.9 μg/cm2. They exhibited good adhesion stability and excellent bending durability. After 12 peeling test cycles and 60 s sonication time, the sheet resistance of the AgNW networks embedded on TEMPO-CNF nanopaper increased by only ∼0.12 and ∼0.07 times, respectively. Furthermore, no significant change in electrical resistance was observed even after 3 bending cycles to nearly 90° and 500 cycles of 80% bending strain. Moreover, the AgNW patterns on TEMPO-CNF paper were successfully applied for constructing a transparent electric circuit as well as a solid-state electrochromic device. Overall, we proposed an effective way to fabricate AgNW micropatterns on transparent nanopaper, which can be expanded to various conductive materials for high-performance paper-based electronics.