Graphene Antiadhesion Layer for the Effective Peel-and-Pick Transfer of Metallic Electrodes toward Flexible Electronics

Abstract

Owing to its exceptional physicochemical properties, graphene has demonstrated unprecedented potential in a wide array of scientific and industrial applications. By exploiting its chemically inert surface endowed with unique barrier functionalities, we herein demonstrate antiadhesive monolayer graphene films for realizing a peel-and-pick transfer process of target materials from the donor substrate. When the graphene antiadhesion layer (AAL) is inserted at the interface between the metal and the arbitrary donor substrate, the interfacial interactions can be effectively weakened by the weak interplanar van der Waals forces of graphene, enabling the effective release of the metallic electrode from the donor substrate. The flexible embedded metallic electrode with graphene AAL exhibited excellent electrical conductivity, mechanical durability, and chemical resistance, as well as excellent performance in flexible heater applications. This study afforded an effective strategy for fabricating high-performance and ultraflexible embedded metallic electrodes for applications in the field of highly functional flexible electronics.