Department of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Box 90354, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA.
Nano Lett. 2013 Jun 12;13(6):2381-6. doi: 10.1021/nl4000739. Epub 2013 May 8.
This work demonstrates that metal nanowires in a percolating network can reversibly slide across one another. Reversible sliding allows networks of metal nanowires to maintain electrical contact while being stretched to strains greater than the fracture strain for individual nanowires. This phenomenon was demonstrated by using networks of nanowires as compliant electrodes for a dielectric elastomer actuator. Reversible nanowire sliding enabled actuation to a maximum area strain of 200% and repetitive cycling of the actuator to an area strain of 25% over 150 times. During actuation, the transmittance of the network increased 4.5 times, from 13% to 58%. Compared to carbon-based compliant electrodes, networks of metal nanowires can actuate across a broader range of optical transmittance. The widely tunable transmittance of nanowire-based actuators allows for their use as a light valve.
这项工作证明了在渗流网络中的金属纳米线可以相互可逆地滑动。可逆滑动允许金属纳米线网络在被拉伸到超过单个纳米线断裂应变的应变时保持电接触。这一现象通过使用纳米线网络作为介电弹性体致动器的柔顺电极来证明。可逆纳米线滑动使致动器能够达到最大面积应变 200%，并在 150 次以上的循环中重复循环至 25%的面积应变。在致动过程中，网络的透过率增加了 4.5 倍，从 13%增加到 58%。与基于碳的柔顺电极相比，金属纳米线网络可以在更宽的光学透过率范围内进行致动。基于纳米线的致动器的可调谐透过率允许将其用作光阀。
