Facile Fabrication of Flexible Electrodes and Immobilization of Silver Nanoparticles on Nanoscale Silicate Platelets to Form Highly Conductive Nanohybrid Films for Wearable Electronic Devices

Abstract

This study investigated films with remarkably high electrical conductivity after they were easily prepared from organic/inorganic nanohybrid solutions containing an organic polymeric dispersant and two-dimensional nanoscale silicate platelets as the inorganic stabilizer dispersed with silver nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy shows that the production of silver nanoparticles synthesized by the in situ chemical reduction of AgNO3 in an aqueous solution by N,N-dimethylformamide results in an average silver nanoparticle diameter of circa 20 nm. Thin films of silver nanoparticles were prepared on a 1-μm-thick film with a low sheet resistance of 8.24 × 10−4 Ω/sq, achieved through the surface migration of silver nanoparticles and prepared by sintering at 300 °C to form an interconnected network. This was achieved with a silver nanoparticle content of 5 wt%, using nanoscale silicate platelets/polyoxyethylene-segmented polyimide/AgNO3 at a weight ratio of 1:10:35. During sintering, the color of the hybrid film changed from gold to milky white, suggesting the migration of silver nanoparticles and the formation of an interconnected network. The results show promise for the fabrication of novel silver-based electrocardiogram electrodes and a flexible wireless electrocardiogram measurement system for wearable electronics.