A Transparent, Degradable Polymer Electrode Inspired by Skeleton Flowers for Versatile Transient Electronics

Transparent, degradable electrodes are essential for the development of versatile, degradable electronics. Yet, the use of crystalline degradable polymers as transparent electrode materials remains a huge challenge due to the inability to break the trade-off between light transmittance, electrical conductivity, and mechanical strength. Here, inspired by skeleton flowers, we develop a microbial polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-based transparent material with a fibrous structure by combining electrospinning and high-pressure crystallization. High pressure reduces the air–fiber interface, induces preferential crystal orientation, and thus enhances the transparency of highly crystalline, nanofibrous-structured PHB materials. Sequentially, we construct a silver nanowire (AgNW) network on the transparent fibrous PHB substrate and produce a transparent, conductive AgNW/PHB-based film that combines good electrical conductivity, high light transmittance, and robust mechanical performance. The AgNW/PHB-based film demonstrates great potential for applications in versatile transient electronic devices. It can serve as an eco-friendly transparent degradable electrode in biobased piezoelectric nanogenerators. This innovation allows for the first creation of a fully degradable, environmentally friendly, luminescent, and self-powered flexible bioelectric device. We postulate that this work opens up new possibilities for further advancements in transient electronics.