Flexible LaNiO3 film with both high electrical conductivity and mechanical robustness

Lanthanum nickel oxide (LaNiO3, LNO) films exhibit excellent electrical conductivity but poor mechanical properties, considerably limiting their further development in the field of flexible electronics. In this study, flexible LNO thin films of different thicknesses were fabricated on a unique two-dimensional (2D) mica platform using a simple metal organic deposition technique. The obtained LNO films exhibited a pseudocubic phase without impurities. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) characterisations proved that the films were well-crystallised, dense, and flat, with controllable thickness. In addition, the flexible LNO/mica element possesses low resistivity (5 x 10(-4) Omega cm), translucency, and good bending resistance. The electrical resistivity can remain stable under various bending radii (r = 10 similar to 2 mm), thousands of bending cycles, and a wide temperature range (28-200 degrees C), demonstrating good durability, mechanical stability and temperature resistance. Furthermore, a ferroelectric BiFeO3 film was constructed based on the obtained conductive LNO electrode, which exhibited typical ferroelectric characteristics. This excellent performance suggests that the flexible LNO electrode is promising for flexible electronic applications.