Bioinspired Toughening Mechanisms in a Multilayer Transparent Conductor Structure.

With increasing demands and interest in flexible and foldable devices, much effort has been devoted to the development of flexible transparent electrodes. An in-depth understanding of failure mechanisms in nanoscale structure is crucial in developing stable, flexible electronics with long-term durability. The present work investigated the mechanoelectric characteristics of transparent conductive electrodes in the form of dielectric/metal/dielectric (DMD) sandwich structures under bending, including one time and repeated cyclic bending test, and provides an explanation of their failure mechanism. We demonstrate how a thin metallic layer helps to enhance the mechanical robustness of the DMD as compared with that without, tune the mechanical properties of the cohesive layer, and improve the electrode fracture resistance. Abnormal crack propagation and toughening of multilayer DMD structures are analyzed, and its underlying mechanisms are explained. We consider the knowledge of the failure mechanisms of transparent conductive electrodes gained from the present study as a foundation for future design improvements.

Impact of Dark Excitons on the Population and Relaxation Kinetics of Two-Dimensional Biexcitons in [CH3(CH2)3NH3]2Pb1-xMnxBr4 (x = 0-0.09).

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have emerged as an excellent platform for studying various excitonic matter under strong quantum and dielectric confinements. However, such effects can be seriously overestimated for Coulomb binding of two excitons to form a biexciton by a naive interpretation of the corresponding photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. By using 2D halide perovskite single crystals of [CH3(CH2)3NH3]2Pb1-xMnxBr4 (x = 0-0.09) as a model system, we investigated both population and relaxation kinetics of biexcitons as a function of excitation density, temperature, polarization, and Mn doping. We show that the biexciton is formed by binding of two dark excitons, which are partially bright, but they radiatively recombine to yield a bright exciton in the final state. This renders the spectral distance between the exciton peak and the biexciton peak as very different from the actual biexciton binding energy (ϕ) because of large bright-dark splitting. We show that Mn doping introduces paramagnetism to our 2D system and improves the biexciton stability as evidenced by increase in ϕ from 18.8 ± 0.7 to 20.0 ± 0.7 meV and the increase of the exciton-exciton capture coefficient C from 2.4 × 10-11 to 4.3 × 10-11cm2/ns within our doping range. The precisely determined ϕ values are significantly smaller than the previously reported ones, but they are consistent with the instability of the biexciton against thermal dissociation at room temperature. Our results demonstrate that electron-hole exchange interaction must be considered for precisely locating the biexciton level; therefore, the ϕ values should be reassessed for other 2D halide perovskites that even do not exhibit any dark exciton PL.

Orbit topology analyzed from π phase shift of magnetic quantum oscillations in three-dimensional Dirac semimetal.

With the emergence of Dirac fermion physics in the field of condensed matter, magnetic quantum oscillations (MQOs) have been used to discern the topology of orbits in Dirac materials. However, many previous researchers have relied on the single-orbit Lifshitz-Kosevich (LK) formula, which overlooks the significant effect of degenerate orbits on MQOs. Since the single-orbit LK formula is valid for massless Dirac semimetals with small cyclotron masses, it is imperative to generalize the method applicable to a wide range of Dirac semimetals, whether massless or massive. This report demonstrates how spin-degenerate orbits affect the phases in MQOs of three-dimensional massive Dirac semimetal, NbSb2 With varying the direction of the magnetic field, an abrupt π phase shift is observed due to the interference between the spin-degenerate orbits. We investigate the effect of cyclotron mass on the π phase shift and verify its close relation to the phase from the Zeeman coupling. We find that the π phase shift occurs when the cyclotron mass is half of the electron mass, indicating the effective spin gyromagnetic ratio as g s = 2. Our approach is not only useful for analyzing MQOs of massless Dirac semimetals with a small cyclotron mass but also can be used for MQOs in massive Dirac materials with degenerate orbits, especially in topological materials with a sufficiently large cyclotron mass. Furthermore, this method provides a useful way to estimate the precise g s value of the material.

High-Contrast Optical Modulation from Strain-Induced Nanogaps at 3D Heterogeneous Interfaces.

The realization of high-contrast modulation in optically transparent media is of great significance for emerging mechano-responsive smart windows. However, no study has provided fundamental strategies for maximizing light scattering during mechanical deformations. Here, a new type of 3D nanocomposite film consisting of an ultrathin (≈60 nm) Al2O3 nanoshell inserted between the elastomers in a periodic 3D nanonetwork is proposed. Regardless of the stretching direction, numerous light-scattering nanogaps (corresponding to the porosity of up to ≈37.4 vol%) form at the interfaces of Al2O3 and the elastomers under stretching. This results in the gradual modulation of transmission from ≈90% to 16% at visible wavelengths and does not degrade with repeated stretching/releasing over more than 10 000 cycles. The underlying physics is precisely predicted by finite element analysis of the unit cells. As a proof of concept, a mobile-app-enabled smart window device for Internet of Things applications is realized using the proposed 3D nanocomposite with successful expansion to the 3 × 3 in. scale.

Scalable Solution-processed Fabrication Strategy for High-performance, Flexible, Transparent Electrodes with Embedded Metal Mesh.

Here, the authors report the embedded metal-mesh transparent electrode (EMTE), a new transparent electrode (TE) with a metal mesh completely embedded in a polymer film. This paper also presents a low-cost, vacuum-free fabrication method for this novel TE; the approach combines lithography, electroplating, and imprint transfer (LEIT) processing. The embedded nature of the EMTEs offers many advantages, such as high surface smoothness, which is essential for organic electronic device production; superior mechanical stability during bending; favorable resistance to chemicals and moisture; and strong adhesion with plastic film. LEIT fabrication features an electroplating process for vacuum-free metal deposition and is favorable for industrial mass production. Furthermore, LEIT allows for the fabrication of metal mesh with a high aspect ratio (i.e., thickness to linewidth), significantly enhancing its electrical conductance without adversely losing optical transmittance. We demonstrate several prototypes of flexible EMTEs, with sheet resistances lower than 1 Ω/sq and transmittances greater than 90%, resulting in very high figures of merit (FoM) - up to 1.5 x 104 - which are amongst the best values in the published literature.

High-Performance Flexible Transparent Electrode with an Embedded Metal Mesh Fabricated by Cost-Effective Solution Process.

A new structure of flexible transparent electrodes is reported, featuring a metal mesh fully embedded and mechanically anchored in a flexible substrate, and a cost-effective solution-based fabrication strategy for this new transparent electrode. The embedded nature of the metal-mesh electrodes provides a series of advantages, including surface smoothness that is crucial for device fabrication, mechanical stability under high bending stress, strong adhesion to the substrate with excellent flexibility, and favorable resistance against moisture, oxygen, and chemicals. The novel fabrication process replaces vacuum-based metal deposition with an electrodeposition process and is potentially suitable for high-throughput, large-volume, and low-cost production. In particular, this strategy enables fabrication of a high-aspect-ratio (thickness to linewidth) metal mesh, substantially improving conductivity without considerably sacrificing transparency. Various prototype flexible transparent electrodes are demonstrated with transmittance higher than 90% and sheet resistance below 1 ohm sq(-1) , as well as extremely high figures of merit up to 1.5 × 10(4) , which are among the highest reported values in recent studies. Finally using our embedded metal-mesh electrode, a flexible transparent thin-film heater is demonstrated with a low power density requirement, rapid response time, and a low operating voltage.