A Transparent, Degradable Polymer Electrode Inspired by Skeleton Flowers for Versatile Transient Electronics
writer:Chuanfeng Wang, Chu Pan, Zhu Liu, Liang Lu, Yu Lai, Juan Li, Zhipei Xia, Weiqing Yang, Jun Lu
keywords:Degradable electronics, Transparent electrode, Electrospinning, High pressure, Piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG), Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)
source:期刊
Issue time:2026年
Transparent, degradable electrodes are essential for the development of versatile, degradable electronics. Yet, the use of crystalline degradable polymers as transparent electrode materials remains a huge challenge due to the inability to break the trade-off between light transmittance, electrical conductivity, and mechanical strength. Here, inspired by skeleton flowers, we develop a microbial polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-based transparent material with a fibrous structure by combining electrospinning and high-pressure crystallization. High pressure reduces the air-fiber interface, induces preferential crystal orientation, and thus enhances the transparency of highly crystalline, nanofibrous-structured PHB materials. Sequentially, we construct a silver nanowire (AgNW) network on the transparent fibrous PHB substrate and produce a transparent, conductive AgNW/PHB-based film that combines good electrical conductivity, high light transmittance, and robust mechanical performance. The AgNW/PHB-based film demonstrates great potential for applications in versatile transient electronic devices. It can serve as an eco-friendly transparent degradable electrode in biobased piezoelectric nanogenerators. This innovation allows for the first creation of a fully degradable, environmentally friendly, luminescent, and self-powered flexible bioelectric device. We postulate that this work opens up new possibilities for further advancements in transient electronics