Self-Assembly of Silver Nanowire Ring Structures Driven by the Compressive Force of a Liquid Droplet.

In a nanowire dispersed in liquid droplets, the interplay between the surface tension of the liquid and the elasticity of the nanowire determines the final morphology of the bent or buckled nanowire. Here, we investigate the fabrication of a silver nanowire ring generated as the nanowire encapsulated inside of fine droplets. We used a hybrid aerodynamic and electrostatic atomization method to ensure the generation of droplets with scalable size in the necessary regime for ring formation. We analytically calculate the compressive force of the droplet driven by surface tension as the key mechanism for the self-assembly of ring structures. Thus, for potential large-scale manufacturing, the droplet size provides a convenient parameter to control the realization of ring structures from nanowires.

Spontaneous self-welding of silver nanowire networks.

As an alternative to the traditional indium tin oxide transparent electrode, solution-processed metal nanowire thin film has been a promising candidate due to its flexibility. However, high contact resistance between the nanowires remains a major challenge to improve the performance. Here, we have investigated a one-step process of coating and welding of nanowires on flexible film. An electric field-assisted spray coating method developed in this study could generate finely charged droplets of nanowire solution at high flow rate. While charged droplets deposited on the flexible film, electric charges were flowing through the nanowire network producing electrical current. It induced Joule heating and welding at junctions of the nanowires without post-processing steps. Using the coating method, the silver nanowire thin film could be uniformly deposited evenly on a large area substrate, and spontaneously self-welding was carried out between the nanowire networks. The transparent electrode of the silver nanowire prepared by the concurrent deposition and the self-welding process could improve uniformity, roughness and sheet resistance.

Direct alignment and patterning of silver nanowires by electrohydrodynamic jet printing.

Highly aligned and patterned silver nanowires (Ag NWs) are investigated by using electrohydrodynamic (EHD) jet printing. Interaction between the flow field and the electric field as well as the mechanical stretching of the fiber jet can successfully align the Ag NWs inside the jet fiber. This technique can be applied in fabricating 1D nanostructures-based printed micro/nanoscale devices.

Infiltrated thin film structure with hydrogel-mediated precursor ink for durable SOFCs.

The hydrogel of biomolecule-assisted metal/organic complex has the superior ability to form a uniform, continuous, and densely integrated structure, which is necessary for fine thin film fabrication. As a representative of nature-originated polymers with abundant reactive side chains, we select the gelatin molecule as an element for weaving the metal cations. Here, we demonstrate the interaction between the metal cation and gelatin molecules, and associate it with coating quality. We investigate the rheological property of gelatin solutions interacting with metal cation from the view of cross-linking and denaturing of gelatin molecules. Also, we quantitatively compare the corresponding interactions by monitoring the absorbance spectrum of the cation. The coated porous structure is systematically investigated from the infiltration of gelatin-mediated Gd0.2Ce0.8O2-δ (GDC) precursor into Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3-δ (SSC) porous scaffold. By applying the actively interacting gelatin-GDC system, we achieve a thin film of GDC on SSC with excellent uniformity. Compare to the discrete coating from the typical infiltration process, the optimized thin film coated structure shows enhanced performance and stability.

Redox-Active Tyrosine-Mediated Peptide Template for Large-Scale Single-Crystalline Two-Dimensional Silver Nanosheets.

Although self-assembly of various peptides has been widely applied, it is challenging to obtain single-crystalline and layer-by-layered nanostructures in a two-dimensional system. Here, we report a method for controlling the morphology and crystal growth at room temperature by a redox-active peptide template that can specifically co-assemble with metal ions. During the crystal growth, a silver ion-coordinated α-helical peptide (+3HN-YYACAYY-COO-) induces long-range atomic ordering at the air/water interface, which leads to multilayered single-crystalline silver nanosheets without an additional annealing process. Furthermore, this peptide template can facilitate efficient electron transfer between the independent metal nanosheets to improve electrochemical properties. We expect that this peptide template-based single-crystal growth method can be extended to synthesize other materials.

Direct Patterning and Spontaneous Self-Assembly of Graphene Oxide via Electrohydrodynamic Jet Printing for Energy Storage and Sensing.

The macroscopic assembly of two-dimensional materials into a laminar structure has received considerable attention because it improves both the mechanical and chemical properties of the original materials. However, conventional manufacturing methods have certain limitations in that they require a high temperature process, use toxic solvents, and are considerably time consuming. Here, we present a new system for the self-assembly of layer-by-layer (LBL) graphene oxide (GO) via an electrohydrodynamic (EHD) jet printing technique. During printing, the orientation of GO flakes can be controlled by the velocity distribution of liquid jet and electric field-induced alignment spontaneously. Closely-packed GO patterns with an ordered laminar structure can be rapidly realized using an interfacial assembly process on the substrates. The surface roughness and electrical conductivity of the LBL structure were significantly improved compared with conventional dispensing methods. We further applied this technique to fabricate a reduced graphene oxide (r-GO)-based supercapacitor and a three-dimensional (3D) metallic grid hybrid ammonia sensor. We present the EHD-assisted assembly of laminar r-GO structures as a new platform for preparing high-performance energy storage devices and sensors.

Biomimetic, Flexible, and Self-Healable Printed Silver Electrode by Spontaneous Self-Layering Phenomenon of a Gelatin Scaffold.

Organic-inorganic hybrid layer-by-layer (LBL) composite structures can not only increase the strength and ductility of materials but also well disperse nanomaterials for better-conducting pathways. Here, we discovered the self-assembly process of an organic and silver (Ag) LBL hybrid structure having excellent sustainability during the long-term bending cycle. During the assembly process, the organic and Ag hybrid structure can be self-assembled into a layered structure. Unlike other conventional LBL fabrication processes, we applied the hydrogel scaffold of a biological polymer, which can spontaneously phase separate into an LBL structure in a water/alcohol solvent system. This new hydrogel-based Ag LBL patterns can successfully be printed on a flexible polyimide film without nozzle-clogging problem. Although these Ag LBL patterns cracked during the bending cycle, carbonized organic compounds between the Ag layers help to self-heal within few minutes at a low temperature (<80 °C). On the basis of our new hydrogel-based Ag ink, we could fabricate a fully printed reliable microscale flexible heater. We expect that our self-layering phenomenon can expand to the broad research field of flexible electronics in the near future.

Direct exfoliation and dispersion of two-dimensional materials in pure water via temperature control.

The high-volume synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) materials in the form of platelets is desirable for various applications. While water is considered an ideal dispersion medium, due to its abundance and low cost, the hydrophobicity of platelet surfaces has prohibited its widespread use. Here we exfoliate 2D materials directly in pure water without using any chemicals or surfactants. In order to exfoliate and disperse the materials in water, we elevate the temperature of the sonication bath, and introduce energy via the dissipation of sonic waves. Storage stability greater than one month is achieved through the maintenance of high temperatures, and through atomic and molecular level simulations, we further discover that good solubility in water is maintained due to the presence of platelet surface charges as a result of edge functionalization or intrinsic polarity. Finally, we demonstrate inkjet printing on hard and flexible substrates as a potential application of water-dispersed 2D materials.

Directly drawn poly(3-hexylthiophene) field-effect transistors by electrohydrodynamic jet printing: improving performance with surface modification.

In this study, direct micropatterning lines of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) without any polymer binder were prepared by electrohydrodynamic jet printing to form organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). We controlled the dielectric surface by introducing self-assembled monolayers and polymer thin films to investigate the effect of surface modifications on the characteristics of printed P3HT lines and electrical performances of the OFETs. The morphology of the printed P3HT lines depended on the surface energy and type of substrate. The resulting OFETs exhibited high performance on octadecyltrichlorosilane-modified substrates, which was comparable to that of other printed P3HT OFETs. In order to realize the commercialization of the OFETs, we also fabricated a large-area transistor array, including 100 OFETs and low-operating-voltage flexible OFETs.