Material Selection for Touch Function Panels

The choice of material for touch function panels directly determines touch sensitivity, durability, and cost. It is mainly considered from two

dimensions: the substrate and the conductive layer.

I. Substrate: Glass vs. Thin Film

* Glass Substrate: Primarily tempered glass or soda-lime glass. Advantages include high light transmittance (over 90%), high surface hardness, scratch

resistance, high temperature resistance, and resistance to deformation over long-term use. Suitable for high-end mobile phones, automotive central

control systems, industrial control equipment, and other applications requiring high stability and environmental adaptability. However, it is heavy and

fragile.

* Thin Film Substrate: Primarily PET (polyester film). Advantages include lightness, thinness, flexibility, low processing cost, and inherent shatter resistance.

Suitable for flexible screens, smart wearables, and home appliance panels where weight and shape are critical. Disadvantages include low hardness and

potential yellowing and deformation over long-term use.

II. Conductive Layer Materials

* ITO (Indium Tin Oxide): The most mature and mainstream material. Good light transmittance and moderate resistance, suitable for standard touchscreens

in mobile phones, tablets, etc. However, ITO is brittle, and its resistance increases when bent, resulting in mediocre performance in large-size (e.g., 65 inches

and above) and flexible screens.

* Metal Mesh: Copper or other metal mesh etched onto PET or glass. Extremely low resistance, suitable for large sizes (e.g., conference screens, electronic

whiteboards); good flexibility, compatible with curved screens; cost advantage increases significantly with size. The disadvantage is that the mesh may

exhibit moiré patterns under strong light, with fine lines visible.

* AgNW (Silver Nanowires): Excellent flexibility, bendable, with good light transmittance and conductivity. Suitable for flexible foldable screens and

wearable devices. Currently, mass production yield is less stable than ITO, and resistance uniformity in large-size applications needs improvement.

* Conductive Polymers/Graphene: Emerging materials with high flexibility and transparency, but their conductivity and stability are currently inferior

to the previous types, mainly used for experimental or high-end special projects.

III. How to Choose?

In summary: For general consumer electronics, PET+ITO is the preferred choice due to its high cost-effectiveness; for large-size or high-performance

applications, consider glass+Metal Mesh; flexible folding devices must use thin-film substrate+AgNW; for industrial control, automotive, and other

applications where reliability is paramount, glass substrate+ITO is recommended.

Actual selection also requires consideration of bonding processes (such as OCA adhesive matching) and the end-use environment (temperature, 

humidity, UV radiation). It is recommended to conduct sample testing of core performance before bulk purchasing.