Supramolecular Pulley Effect Enabling Highly Stretchable Transparent Electrodes

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) are promising materials for stretchable transparent electrodes (STEs) due to their high aspect ratio, excellent electrical conductivity, and optical transparency. However, the flexibility of AgNW-based STEs is often constrained by the significant modulus mismatch between the rigid AgNWs and soft polymer substrates. Herein, we introduce acrylated polyrotaxane (PRA) between the AgNW network and a polyurethane (PU) substrate, resulting in a highly stretchable and transparent electrode. The pulley effect of the acrylated polyrotaxane helps alleviate stress concentration at the AgNW-PU interface. Therefore, the network structure of AgNWs can remain relatively intact even under large tensile strains. The resulting composite electrode combines a transmittance of about 86.8%, a sheet resistance of 47 Ω·sq-1, and a stretchability of up to 130%. The as-prepared AgNWs/PRA/PU electrode demonstrates great potential for applications in stretchable electroluminescent devices and electrophysiological signal monitoring. This study offers a straightforward and effective strategy for developing high-performance stretchable electrodes, presenting a viable pathway for next-generation electronic devices.