Transparent film heater based on a microgrid-patterned metal nanowire network prepared by using the bilayer lift-off technique

• Published in: Journal of the Korean Physical Society Vol. 80; no. 5; pp. 404 - 409
• Main Authors: Noh, Ji-Yeon, Kim, Jong-Man
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul The Korean Physical Society 01.03.2022; Springer Nature B.V; 한국물리학회
• Subjects: Bilayers; Distributed generation; High aspect ratio; Mathematical and Computational Physics; Nanowires; Ohmic dissipation; Optoelectronics; Original Paper - Condensed Matter; Particle and Nuclear Physics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Resistance heating; Silver; Theoretical; Thermal resistance; Wrist; 물리학; Silver nanowire; Bilayer lift-off; Microgrid; Wearable heater; Micro-patterning
• ISSN: 0374-4884; 1976-8524
• DOI: 10.1007/s40042-022-00431-z

In this work, a bilayer lift-off process was combined with a spray coating technique to fabricate highly flexible and transparent heaters based on silver nanowire (AgNW) microgrid (AMG) structures. The unique architecture of the bilayer polymer mold with a sufficient undercut enabled the precise, reproducible fabrication of MG made of AgNWs with a high aspect ratio. The resulting AMG exhibited well-balanced optoelectronic properties: a low sheet resistance (6 ± 0.4 Ω/sq) and a high optical transmittance (71.8 ± 3.9% at a 550 nm wavelength). The AMG heater showed an excellent electrothermal performance: a low-voltage operation (51.4 ± 2℃ at 2 V) and high thermal resistance (~ 398℃ cm 2 /W). The mechanically flexible heater was successfully attached to the wrist region, and its Joule heating performance could be maintained stably and uniformly, even under dynamic wrist bending motions.