Abstract
Silver nanowire-coated silk fibroin (SF) was used to create composite films with high flexibility, good electrical conductivity and excellent mechanical properties. SF was coated with a layer of entangled silver nanowires (AgNWs) that were sputtered with a platinum layer. The SF-AgNWs composite films exhibited excellent performance with a conductivity of similar to 15.0 Omega sq(-1) and transmittance of similar to 80% in the visible light range. The films also retained conductivity even after being bent hundreds of times; this recovery was attributed to the structure of the embedded AgNWs in SF, and metallic contacts among the AgNWs induced by the ion sputtering. The SF-AgNWs composite films also showed promise in practical applications, including as a conduit to light emitting diodes (LEDs). These novel composite films could be used to fabricate wearable electronics and implantable devices.