Hybrid Polymer/Metal Oxide Thin Films for High Performance, Flexible Transistors

Micromachines (Basel). 2020 Mar 4;11(3):264. doi: 10.3390/mi11030264.

Abstract

Metal oxides (MOs) have garnered significant attention in a variety of research fields, particularly in flexible electronics such as wearable devices, due to their superior electronic properties. Meanwhile, polymers exhibit excellent mechanical properties such as flexibility and durability, besides enabling economic solution-based fabrication. Therefore, MO/polymer nanocomposites are excellent electronic materials for use in flexible electronics owing to the confluence of the merits of their components. In this article, we review recent developments in the synthesis and fabrication techniques for MO/polymer nanocomposite-based flexible transistors. In particular, representative MO/polymer nanocomposites for flexible and transparent channel layers and gate dielectrics are introduced and their electronic properties-such as mobilities and dielectric constant-are presented. Finally, we highlight the advances in interface engineering and its influence on device electronics.

Keywords: active layers; dielectrics; flexible transistors; metal oxides; nanocomposites; polymers.

Publication types

  • Review