Layer-by-layer hybrid chemical doping for high transmittance uniformity in graphene-polymer flexible transparent conductive nanocomposite

Abstract

A traditional transparent conducting film (TCF) such as indium tin oxide (ITO) exhibits poor mechanical flexibility and inconsistent transmittance throughout the UV-VIS-NIR spectrum. Recent TCFs like graphene films exhibit high sheet resistance (Rs) due to defect induced carrier scattering. Here we show a unique hybrid chemical doping method that results in high transmittance uniformity in a layered graphene-polymer nanocomposite with suppressed defect-induced carrier scattering. This layer-by-layer hybrid chemical doping results in low Rs (15 sq at >90% transmittance) and 3.6% transmittance uniformity (300-1000 nm) compared with graphene (17%), polymer (8%) and ITO (46%) films. The weak localization effect in our nanocomposite was reduced to 0.5%, compared with pristine (4.25%) and doped graphene films (1.2%). Furthermore, negligible Rs change (1.2 times compared to 12.6 × 103 times in ITO) and nearly unaltered transmittance spectra were observed up to 24 GPa of applied stress highlighting mechanical flexibility of the nanocomposite film. © 2018 The Author(s)