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Bilayer graphene-covered Cu flexible electrode with excellent mechanical reliability and electrical performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2019

Yu-Jia Yang ,
Bin Zhang Open the ORCID record for Bin Zhang [Opens in a new window] ,
Hong-Yuan Wan ,
Kun Liu  and
Guang-Ping Zhang Open the ORCID record for Guang-Ping Zhang [Opens in a new window]
Yu-Jia Yang
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, People’s Republic of China
Bin Zhang*
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, People’s Republic of China
Hong-Yuan Wan
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, People’s Republic of China; and School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Shenyang 110016, People’s Republic of China
Kun Liu
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, People’s Republic of China
Guang-Ping Zhang
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, People’s Republic of China
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: zhangb@atm.neu.edu.cn
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Abstract

Flexible electrode is an indispensable component of emerging portable, flexible, and wearable electronic devices. Although various flexible electrodes with different dimensions and functions have been explored, developing a new electrode material with excellent mechanical reliability and superior electrical performance remains a challenge. Here, a graphene-covered Cu composite electrode film with a total thickness of ∼100 nm is successfully fabricated onto a flexible polyimide substrate by means of a series of assembly methods including physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, and transfer technique. The composite electrode film on the flexible substrate exhibits evidently enhanced tensile strength, monotonic bending, and repeatedly bending fatigue reliability as well as electrical performance compared with that of the bared Cu film electrode. Such excellent mechanical performances are attributed to the role of the graphene coating in suppressing fatigue damage formation and preventing crack advance. It is expected that the chemical vapor-deposited graphene-covered Cu composite electrode would extend the potential ultrathin metal film electrode as the innovative electrode material for the next-generation flexible electronic devices.

Keywords

grapheneflexible electrodemechanical reliabilityelectrical performance
Type
Article
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 34 , Issue 21 , 14 November 2019 , pp. 3645 - 3653
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2019 

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