Highly reliable mulberry paper (Hanji)-based electrode with printed silver nanowire/zinc oxide hybrid for soft electronics

In this study, the pneumatic printing system was explored for the fabrication of mulberry paper-based printed electrodes. By optimizing the pneumatic pressure and printing speed, AgNWs were successfully printed on the mulberry paper (Korean traditional paper, Hanji). To achieve high conductivity and stability, AgNWs were printed on multiple layers, enabling a low sheet resistance of 11.8 ± 2.1 Ω/sq. In addition, the resistance changes during drying remarkably reduced by the multiple printing. For further enhancing the stability, the ZnO inks were preprinted before the AgNW printing. With the preprinting of 7.0 wt% ZnO, the increase in the resistance after 24 h drying decreased from 75.5% for the AgNWs without ZnO to 9.7% with ZnO. Lastly, the printed AgNWs with 7.0 wt% ZnO electrodes were successfully used for the paper-based printed heater.