Synthesis of Cu NW

MATERIALS REQUIRED
1.)Acetic acid
2.)isopropyl alcohol
3.)1-Hexadecylamine, tech. 90%
4.)1-octadecylamine (HDA, B22459)
5.)Copper(II) chloride dihydrate (CuCl2·2H2O)
6.)D-(+)-Glucose (C6H12O6, G8270-100G)
7.)n-hexane (anhydrous, 95%, 110-54-3)
8.)polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP, Mw = 360000)
9.)Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with 50 μm thickness
10.)Meyer rods of sizes #12, 16, 20, and 24 (30.48, 40.64, 50.80, and 60.96 μm of wet film thickness)
11.) flasks, beakers, measuring cylinders, and stir bars

1. The flasks, beakers, measuring cylinders, and stir bars used for the process were cleaned thoroughly
and dried at room temperature
2. 0.24 g of CuCl2·2H2O, 0.1 g of glucose, and 1.5 g of HDA were dissolved in 80 mL of
deionized (DI) water in a 100 mL DURAN bottle
3. After being capped, the bottle was placed in a water bath that was preheated to 60 °C
4. The solution was magnetically stirred at 800 rpm for 2 h
5. The resulting blue emulsion was transferred to a 100 mL Teflon-lined stainless steel
autoclave and kept in an oven at 140°C for 12 h.
6. After cooling down to room temperature, the resulting solution was centrifuged and washed
with DI water three times.
7. To separate Cu NWs and Cu nanoparticles (NPs),10 mL n- hexane and 15 mL DI water were
added to the solution and vortexed for 30 s
8. The mixture was left to stand for 30 min
9. the solution separated into two phases:Cu NWs floated in the top n-hexane phase, while Cu
NPs settled down in the bottom water phase
10. The n-hexane phase was transferred to a 50 mL tube using a pipet
11. The obtained solution was centrifuged and washed with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) three times
12. Cu NWs were dispersed in IPA for later use

Preparation of Flexible Transparent Electrode

1. 0.5 wt % PVP-based ink was prepared by dissolving 0.5 g of PVP-K90 in 99.5 g of IPA.
2. The stored Cu NWs were transferred to a 1.5 mL tube and washed once more with the 0.5 wt
% PVP-based ink solution by centrifuging at 2000 rpm for 5 min.
3. Depending on the desired concentration, the required amount of PVP-based ink was pipetted
into the tube containing the copper nanowires to make the final coating solution
4. Meyer rods were utilized to coat the copper nanowire solution uniformly onto a laboratory
glass slide or PET substrate
5. After coating, the film was dipped in acetic acid for a minute and self-dried in air.