Preparation of conductive transparent adhesive films from carbon nanomaterials and polar acrylate

Electrically conductive optically clear adhesives (ECOCAs) were prepared using a nanostructured carbon material (CMK-3(150)) as a conductive filler. The mesoporous carbon material, CMK-3(150), was synthesized using an ordered mesoporous silica template to produce inverse replica ordered mesoporous carbon material with an approximately 10 nm pore diameter. An adhesive solution of acrylic monomers containing polar acrylate, CMK-3(150), and thermal initiator was reacted at 80 degrees C to prepare the ECOCA composite which had appropriate viscosity for further processing. The adhesive composite was adhered to various surfaces including ITO films upon thermal processing at 60 degrees C to afford a highly transparent and adhesive film. Tensile strength of the ECOCA films was increased with the contents of conductive filler up to 4 wt%. The percolation concentration of the CMK-3(150) in the composite was approximately 7 wt%, which is much less than those of typical conductive fillers. The optimum content of CMK-3(150) to assure optical clarity, tensile strength, and high conductivity was 2-3 wt%.