Compliant and nonplanar nanostructure films
View Patent ↗A coated substrate comprising a nanostructure film formed on a non-planar substrate is described. The coated substrate may further be compliant, optically transparent and/or electrically conductive. Fabrication methods thereof are also described.
1. A method of fabricating a coated substrate, comprising:
coating a substrate with a nanostructure solution;
flash-drying the nanostructure solution to form a film with nanostructures on the substrate,
washing the film with nanostructures on the substrate after the flash-drying the nanostructure solution; and
repeating the coating the substrate with the nanostructure solution, the flash-drying the nanostructure solution, and the washing the film with nanostructures on the substrate until a first thickness for the film with nanostructures is achieved,
wherein the substrate is planar during the film fabrication process and subsequently made non-planar, and
the film includes at least one interconnected network of carbon nanotubes and is optically transparent and electrically conductive.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is compliant.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coated substrate is optically transparent and electrically conductive.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the coated substrate can be bent more than 20 degrees without losses in structural, electrical or optical functionality.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the coating the substrate with the nanostructure solution includes depositing a nanostructure dispersion on the substrate.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the film is transferred to the substrate from at least one of a donor substrate, a release liner, a laminate and a transfer stamp.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the process further comprises squeezing the nanostructure solution to a uniform thickness prior to flash-drying.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein flash-drying is performed by sweeping a local heating source over the nanostructure solution coated on the substrate.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein flash-drying includes a linear drying wave in the nanostructure solution.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the film formed with nanostructure is patterned.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the film is coated on an inner surface of a hallow object.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is supported by a roll-to-roll apparatus.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein, the film is formed by a process comprising:
filtering a nanostructure dispersion to form the film with nanostructure on a filter; and
transferring the film from the filter to the substrate.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the filter and the substrate are supported by a roll-to-roll apparatus.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the film is transferred by a stamping reel.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanostructures include at least one of carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, nanowires, and inorganic nanostructures.
17. A method of fabricating a coated substrate, comprising:
coating a substrate with a nanostructure solution;
flash-drying the nanostructure solution to form a film with nanostructures on the substrate,
washing the film with nanostructures on the substrate after the flash-drying the nanostructure solution; and
repeating the coating the substrate with the nanostructure solution, the flash-drying the nanostructure solution, and the washing the film with nanostructures on the substrate until a first thickness for the film with nanostructures is achieved, wherein
the substrate is non-planar during the film fabrication process, and
the film is optically transparent and electrically conductive.