The flexibility of PET silver plated reflective film and its exploration in bendable or foldable applications

With the rapid development of modern technology, electronic devices are constantly evolving towards slimness and flexibility. Among numerous optical and electronic components, PET silver plated reflective film plays an important role. Developed by Advanced Institute (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd PET silver plated reflective filmIts flexibility performance has become a key factor determining whether the product can be widely used in bendable or foldable scenarios.

The PET silver plated reflective film is mainly composed of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) base layer and a silver plated layer on the surface. The PET substrate has good mechanical properties, such as high tensile strength and tear strength, which provides a basic guarantee for the stability of the entire film. The silver plating layer endows the film with excellent reflective properties, enabling efficient reflection of light and having broad potential applications in optical displays, lighting, and other fields.

（1） Bending radius test
To evaluate the flexibility of PET silver plated reflective film, the bending radius is a key indicator. Bend the membrane sample in different directions, gradually reducing the bending radius until failure phenomena such as cracks, silver layer detachment, or significant decrease in reflection performance are observed on the membrane surface. Advanced Institute (Shenzhen) Technology Co., LtdBy using high-precision bending testing equipment, the performance changes of the membrane can be accurately measured at different degrees of bending.

（2） Folding durability test
By simulating the repeated folding process in practical foldable applications, the folding durability of PET silver plated reflective film was tested. For example, setting a certain folding angle (such as 180 degrees), repeatedly folding at a fixed frequency, and after a specific number of folds, detecting parameters such as reflectivity, resistance changes, and appearance integrity of the film. This helps to understand the stability of the membrane during long-term folding use.

（1） Microstructure level
At the microscale, PET silver plated reflective filmThe PET base molecular chain has a certain degree of flexibility and mobility. When the membrane is subjected to bending or folding forces, the molecular chains can undergo rearrangement and adjustment to some extent, thereby alleviating stress concentration. Although the silver plating layer is relatively hard, due to its good adhesion with the PET substrate, it can also follow the deformation of the substrate within a certain bending range without peeling off.

（2） Macro performance data
After a large number of testing experiments, Advanced Institute (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd. found that its PET silver plated reflective film can still maintain high reflectivity and good electrical performance under a small bending radius (such as about 5mm), and after thousands of folding cycles, the decrease in reflectivity is controlled within a small range (such as within 5%), with less occurrence of silver layer detachment and film rupture. This indicates that the membrane has excellent flexibility and can adapt to a certain degree of bending and folding application requirements.

（1） In the field of consumer electronics
In consumer electronic devices such as foldable smartphones and foldable tablets, PET silver plated reflective filmCan be applied to the backlight module or reflective layer behind the display screen. Its good flexibility can bend with the folding of the device, ensuring the uniformity of the display effect and brightness consistency of the screen in different folding states. For example, in the hinge area of foldable screen phones, PET silver plated reflective film can adapt to frequent bending deformation and provide stable reflective light support for the screen.

（2） Flexible lighting field
For flexible lighting products such as flexible light strips and foldable lighting panels, PET silver plated reflective film can be used to improve the reflection efficiency of light, making the light more concentrated and evenly emitted. Due to its ability to bend or fold, various shapes and structures of lighting devices can be easily designed to meet the personalized lighting needs of different scenes.

（3） Wearable device field
PET silver plated reflective film can be applied to optical sensors or related components of display screens in wearable devices such as smartwatches and smart bracelets. Its flexibility can adapt to the movement of human joints and the bending wearing method of equipment, ensuring the normal operation of sensors and good visual effects of display screens.

In summary, the PET silver plated reflective film of Advanced Institute (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd. has shown excellent flexibility. Through various testing methods and analysis of practical application scenarios, it has been proven that it has high applicability in bendable or foldable applications. However, with the continuous development of flexible electronic technology, the flexibility and other performance requirements for PET silver plated reflective films will also continue to increase. In the future, Advanced Institute (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd. is expected to further optimize the material formula and preparation process of the film, improve its performance stability under smaller bending radius and more folding times, expand its applications in a wider range of flexible electronics and optics fields, and provide strong material support for promoting the innovative development of bendable or foldable devices.
The above data is for reference only, and specific performance may vary due to production processes and product specifications.