Metal Micropatterning by Triboelectric Spark Discharge

Metal micropatterns play critical roles in flexible electronics. However, the lack of versatile strategies for micropatterning of diverse metal materials on various thin, flexible or stretchable substrates has limited the rapid development of flexible electronics. Here, a metal micropatterning method by triboelectric spark discharge under atmospheric environment is developed, where a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is employed to precisely and safely control the voltage, current, and frequency of the spark discharges. Micropatterns of metal films like gold, silver, copper, aluminum and platinum are successfully fabricated on substrates of polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polydimethylsiloxane, paper or latex, even on ultrathin substrates (5 μm thick) without damage, where the feature sizes of metal patterns are controllable from 20 μm to 1 mm. Experimental insights into the triboelectric spark discharge behaviors and the pattern feature sizes control are discussed. A straightforward fabrication of metal patterns on the balloon surface or human skin through “handwriting” by a pencil as discharge electrode is realized. Besides metals, extended processibility of conductive materials like carbon nanotubes, graphene, MXene, graphite, carbon fibers, and conductive polymers are also demonstrated. This work proves the possibility of microfabrication by TENG, which is of simplicity and attractiveness for flexible electronics.