Metallic Glass Thin Film Electrodes for Chemically and Mechanically Stable Interface for Flexible Electronics

Metallic glasses (MGs) or amorphous alloys gained attentions for their attractive mechanical properties and chemical stabilities, which originate from the randomly oriented atomic arrangement in the MGs that results in their strong strain-resistance and chemical inertness. MGs are often characterized by the absence of grain boundaries, which are often responsible for initiating catastrophic mechanical failures and corrosion (and other chemical reactions). Recently, their applicability in thin film via physical vapor deposition method have motivated researchers to replace electrode materials to MG thin films. MG thin films exhibit varying electrical and mechanical characteristics depending on their atomic compositions, thus should be analyzed thoroughly before replacing conventional electrode materials for the electrodes. Here, we present intriguing cases of adopting MG thin films for electrodes of organic photovoltaic cells and sensors. Through detailed investigations on MG thin films, fabrication of thin film devices with enhanced stability and flexibility is achieved. In specific, amorphous metallic surface in contact with polymers circumvents oxidation reaction caused by ambient air, which prevents formation of insulating oxides and loss of electrical conductivity of the electrode itself. In addition, MG thin film exhibited high crack resilience in bendable and stretchable devices, which yielded flexible devices with high flexibility and reliability.<br/> <br/>Reference (1) <i>Organic Electronics</i> 84 (2020): 105811.<br/>Reference (2) <i>Electrochimica Acta</i> 446 (2023): 142053.<br/>Reference (3) <i>Journal of Alloys and Compounds</i> 944 (2023) 169219.