Extremely flexible, transparent, and strain-sensitive electroluminescent device based on ZnS:Cu-polyvinyl butyral composite and silver nanowires

Sungwoo Jun, Youngmin Kim, Byeong Kwon Ju, Jong Woong Kim

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    32 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    A multifunctional alternate current electroluminescent device (ACEL) was achieved by compositing ZnS:Cu particles in polyvinyl butyral (PVB) with two layers of percolated silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes. The strong hydrogen bonding interactions and entanglement of PVB chains considerably strengthened the PVB, and thus, the cured mixture of ZnS:Cu particles and freestanding PVB required no additional support. The device was fabricated by embedding AgNWs on both sides of the ZnS:Cu-PVB composite film using an inverted layer process and intense-pulsed-light treatment. The strong affinity of PVB to the polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) layer, which capped the AgNWs, mechanically stabilized the device to such an extent that it could resist 10,000 bending cycles under a curvature radius of 500 μm. Using AgNW networks in both the top and bottom electrodes made a double-sided light-emitting device that could be applied to wearable lightings or flexible digital signage. The capacitance formed in the device sensitively varied with the applied bending and unfolding, thus demonstrating that the device can also be used as a deformation sensor.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)144-150
    Number of pages7
    JournalApplied Surface Science
    Volume429
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2018 Jan 31

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This work was supported by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE) of the Republic of Korea (grant No. 20153010140030). Support was also provided by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIP) (No. 2015R1A4A1042417) and the MOTIE/Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) (No. 10051080).

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2017 Elsevier B.V.

    Keywords

    • Electroluminescence
    • Polyvinyl butyral
    • Silver nanowire
    • Strain sensor
    • Zinc sulfide

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Chemistry
    • Condensed Matter Physics
    • General Physics and Astronomy
    • Surfaces and Interfaces
    • Surfaces, Coatings and Films

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