The effects of acrylic acid on the electro-mechanical behaviour of ITO-coated polymer substrates for flexible display technologies

摘要

The effects of acrylic acid on the electro-mechanical behaviour of commercial ITO/PET systems for use in thin flexible displays were investigated under uniaxial tension and monotonic bending under both tensile and compressive stresses of the ITO coated surface within the ITO/PET system. The tribological properties of these systems were also investigated using a fretting technique under dry sliding conditions via a customised High Frequency Reciprocating Rig. Changes in electrical resistance were monitored in situ. Ex situ SEM was conducted to provide surface characterisation of the mechanically-tested samples. The results showed when tested under tension the ITO/PET systems ability to resist strain was significantly reduced in both uniaxial tensile testing and monotonic bending after exposure to acrylic acid. The main failure mechanism is suggested to be stress-corrosion cracking. However when tested in compression, the exposure to acrylic acid was not seen to have an effect on the electro-mechanical properties. The tribological properties of these thin film systems were also seen to be affected by the exposure to acrylic acid as; the number of cycles to failure for the 300 Ω/ÿ sample was reduced from 570 cycles to 200 cycles.