Work

Benzotriazole‐Functionalized Ionic Liquid and Superwettability‐Assisted Transfer Enable Air‐Stable, Large‐Area Copper Nanowires‐Based Flexible Transparent Electrodes

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Copper nanowires (CuNWs) are promising for flexible transparent electrodes but suffer from lack of effective strategies to inhibit the oxidation‐induced conductivity degradation, especially during large‐area electrode preparation. Herein, a benzotriazole‐functionalized ionic liquid ([BTAMMIM]TFSI) is introduced as an antioxidant layer to protect the CuNWs networks. Remarkably, the sheet resistance of the protected electrodes increases by only 0.54% compared to bare CuNWs after 60‐day air exposure. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experiments reveal that the benzotriazole‐functionalized cations and [TFSI] anions synergistically coordinate with copper, enabling exceptional oxidation resistance. By integrating with superwettability‐assisted interfacial transfer strategy, large‐area CuNWs@[BTAMMIM]TFSI composite electrodes (40 × 25 cm 2 ) are fabricated with 37.2 Ω sq −1 sheet resistance and 88.2% transmittance (550 nm). The electrodes maintain performance under acidic/alkaline conditions (pH 3/13) and high humidity (85% RH) at 85 °C. A demonstrated flexible smart window exhibits high transmittance modulation (6.1%–68.2%), fast response (< 0.2 s) and long‐term stability, highlighting their potential in flexible optoelectronics.

Source: Advanced Science

DOI: 10.1002/advs.202515330