Mechanically processed, vacuum- and etch-free fabrication of metal-wire-embedded microtrenches interconnected by semiconductor nanowires for flexible bending-sensitive optoelectronic sensors.

We demonstrate the facile fabrication of metal-wire-embedded microtrenches interconnected with semiconducting ZnO nanowires (ZNWs) through the continuous mechanical machining of micrograting trenches, the mechanical embedding of solution-processable metal wires therein, and the metal-mediated hydrothermal growth of ZNWs selectively thereto. The entire process can be performed at room or a very low temperature without resorting to vacuum, lithography, and etching steps, thereby enabling the use of flexible polymer substrates of scalable sizes. We optimize the fabrication procedure and resulting structural characteristics of this nanowire-interconnected flexible trench-embedded electrode (NIFTEE) architecture.