Electrodeposition fabrication of Cu@Ni core shell nanowire network for highly stable transparent conductive films

Copper nanowire (CuNW) is one of the most promising candidates for next-generation transparent conductive film (TCF). However, practical applications of CuNW are still limited by several drawbacks, including loose wire to wire junctions, poor resistance against oxidation, chemical and thermal damage. To concurrently address these urgent issues, highly conductive and stable TCF is prepared based on Cu@Ni core-shell NW networks by electrodeposition. The coated Ni shell can weld stacked NWs tightly, which decreases the sheet resistance from 513 to 15.8 Ohm/sq (at a transmittance of 88%), as well as improves the mechanical stability (1.03-fold resistance increase after 2000 cyclic bending). The Cu@Ni NW TCF exhibits excellent antioxidation performance after storing in atmospheric environment for 168 h. The passivation Ni shell also improvs the chemical and thermal stability. The Cu@Ni NW network keeps intact after 450 s H₂O₂ corrosion and heating at 400 °C for 30 min. Moreover, a flexible transparent heater was fabricated based on these TCFs, which shows excellent uniform heating performance and high response speed.