Roll-to-roll sputtered, indium-free ZnSnO/AgPdCu/ZnSnO multi-stacked electrodes for high performance flexible thin-film heaters and heat-shielding films

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>As a cost-effective, indium-free, flexible, and highly transparent electrode for flexible thin-film heaters and heat-shielding films, ZnSnO(ZTO)/AgPdCu(APC)/ZTO multi-stacked films were fabricated by using 1500-mm–width, roll-to-roll (RTR) sputtering at room temperature. The optimized RTR-sputtered ZTO/APC/ZTO film showed a very low sheet resistance (3.43 ohm/square), high optical transmittance (80.99%), and small inner/outer critical bending radii (1 and 2 mm, respectively), even when it was processed at room temperature. In particular, the better flexibility of the ZTO/APC/ZTO films, relative to typical ITO films, was confirmed by lab-scale bending, rolling, twisting, and folding tests. Due to the very low sheet resistance, superior flexibility, and low transmittance in the near-infrared wavelength region, flexible and transparent thin-film heaters (TFHs) and flexible heat-shielding films (HSFs) made with the ZTO/APC/ZTO films showed better performance than typical ITO-based TFHs and HSFs. This suggests that the RTR–sputtered, indium-free ZTO/APC/ZTO films can be applied as transparent and flexible electrode materials in cost-effective and multi-functional smart windows for buildings and automobiles.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Electrical, optical, and mechanical properties of ZTO/APC/ZTO multilayers. </LI> <LI> Outstanding flexibility of roll-to-roll sputtered ZTO/APC/ZTO films. </LI> <LI> Flexible thin-film heater and heat-shielding films for smart windows. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>