Ultraflexible Transparent Film Heater Made of Ag Nanowire/PVA Composite for Rapid-Response Thermotherapy Pads.
Ultraflexible transparent film heaters have been fabricated by embedding conductive silver (Ag) nanowires into a thin poly(vinyl alcohol) film (AgNW/PVA). A cold-pressing method was used to rationally adjust the sheet resistance of the composite films and thus the heating powers of the AgNW/PVA film heaters at certain biases. The film heaters have a favorable optical transmittance (93.1% at 26 Ω/sq) and an outstanding mechanical flexibility (no visible change in sheet resistance after 10 000 bending cycles and at a radius of curvature ≤1 mm). The film heaters have an environmental endurance, and there is no significant performance degradation after being kept at high temperature (80 °C) and high humidity (45 °C, 80% humidity) for half a year. The efficient Joule heating can increase the temperature of the film heaters (20 Ω/sq) to 74 °C in ∼20 s at a bias of 5 V. The fast-heating characteristics at low voltages (a few volts) associated with its transparent and flexibility properties make the poly(dimethylsiloxane)/AgNW/PVA composite film a potential candidate in medical thermotherapy pads.
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Non-ferrous Metals, Lanzhou University of Technology , 730050 Lanzhou, People's Republic of China.
Wei
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6194-4839
W
Lan
Youxin
Y
Chen
Zhiwei
Z
Yang
Weihua
W
Han
Jinyuan
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0284-105X
J
Zhou
Yue
Y
Zhang
Junya
J
Wang
Guomei
G
Tang
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Non-ferrous Metals, Lanzhou University of Technology , 730050 Lanzhou, People's Republic of China.
Yupeng
Y
Wei
Wei
W
Dou
Qing
Q
Su
Erqing
E
Xie
D004553:Electric Conductivity; D006244:Hardness; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D053770:Nanowires; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D012834:Silver; D013499:Surface Properties
D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012834:Silver
AgNW/PVA film heater; cold pressing; environmental endurance; thermal response; thermotherapy pad; transparent; ultraflexible