Ultrasmooth, extremely deformable and shape recoverable Ag nanowire embedded transparent electrode.
Transparent electrodes have been widely used in electronic devices such as solar cells, displays, and touch screens. Highly flexible transparent electrodes are especially desired for the development of next generation flexible electronic devices. Although indium tin oxide (ITO) is the most commonly used material for the fabrication of transparent electrodes, its brittleness and growing cost limit its utility for flexible electronic devices. Therefore, the need for new transparent conductive materials with superior mechanical properties is clear and urgent. Ag nanowire (AgNW) has been attracting increasing attention because of its effective combination of electrical and optical properties. However, it still suffers from several drawbacks, including large surface roughness, instability against oxidation and moisture, and poor adhesion to substrates. These issues need to be addressed before wide spread use of metallic NW as transparent electrodes can be realized. In this study, we demonstrated the fabrication of a flexible transparent electrode with superior mechanical, electrical and optical properties by embedding a AgNW film into a transparent polymer matrix. This technique can produce electrodes with an ultrasmooth and extremely deformable transparent electrode that have sheet resistance and transmittance comparable to those of an ITO electrode.
1] Advanced Functional Thin Films Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 641-831, Republic of Korea [2] School of Architectural, Civil, Environmental and Energy Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Republic of Korea [3].
Sanggil
S
Nam
1] Advanced Functional Thin Films Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 641-831, Republic of Korea [2].
Myungkwan
M
Song
Advanced Functional Thin Films Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 641-831, Republic of Korea.
Dong-Ho
DH
Kim
Advanced Functional Thin Films Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 641-831, Republic of Korea.
Byungjin
B
Cho
Advanced Functional Thin Films Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 641-831, Republic of Korea.
Hye Moon
HM
Lee
Advanced Functional Thin Films Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 641-831, Republic of Korea.
Jung-Dae
JD
Kwon
Advanced Functional Thin Films Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 641-831, Republic of Korea.
Sung-Gyu
SG
Park
Advanced Functional Thin Films Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 641-831, Republic of Korea.
Kee-Seok
KS
Nam
Advanced Functional Thin Films Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 641-831, Republic of Korea.
Yongsoo
Y
Jeong
Center for Hybrid Interface Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735, Republic of Korea.
Se-Hun
SH
Kwon
Measurement & Analysis Team, National Nanofab Center, Daejeon 305-806, Republic of Korea.
Yun Chang
YC
Park
Department of Chemistry Education, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735, Republic of Korea.
Sung-Ho
SH
Jin
Professional Graduate School of Flexible and Printable Electronics, Department of Flexible and Printable Electronics, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
Jae-Wook
JW
Kang
1] School of Architectural, Civil, Environmental and Energy Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Republic of Korea [2] School of Energy Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Republic of Korea.
Sungjin
S
Jo
Advanced Functional Thin Films Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 641-831, Republic of Korea.
Chang Su
CS
Kim