Silver Nanowire-Based Flexible Transparent Composite Film for Curvature Measurements

A transparent, flexible, and conductive epoxy resin film embedded with silver nanowires is fabricated through a simple process. The effect of silver nanowire areal mass density on the electrical and optical properties of films is investigated. It is found that resistance of the transparent composite film will change regularly during the bending process. The influence mechanism of bending behavior on the electrical property is explored. On the basis of this mechanism, the curvature in the bending process can be acquired immediately by measuring the resistance of the composite film. The high elastic modulus (800 MPa) of the composite film is a benefit for distinguishing the factor of resistance change caused by bending or stretching with low force. Additionally, high stability of the bending detector is demonstrated with 500 repeated bending cycles and a 6-month durability test.