360° omnidirectional, printable and transparent photodetectors for flexible optoelectronics

Abstract

360° omnidirectional photodetectors: flexible enough for any application Ink-jet printed nanowire network-polymer composites enable flexible, transparent photodetectorsthat can be bent, wrapped, and stretched.A collaborative team lead by Jr-Hau He from the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) developed ink-jet printed 360° omnidirectional photodetectors that are fully transparent, stretchable and wrappable. The key to the device’s high degree of functionality is a polyurethane-based composite consisting of a ZnO-Ag interlaced nanowire network. Incorporating the composite into the device structure leads to photodetectors with over 75% transmittance, which enables omnidirectional photodetection with only 78% variation. The device operates under less than 5 mm bending radius and while stretched at over 60% strain, which allows the device to employed in applications such as wearable electronics.