We report the degradation mechanisms of the silver nanowire (Ag NW) electrodes that play a significantly important role in the stability of wearable and flexible devices. The degradation mechanisms behind the increase in the sheet resistances of Ag NW electrodes were clarified by investigating the variations in the structure and the chemical composition of the Ag NW electrodes caused by ultraviolet irradiation and thermal treatment. While the shapes of the Ag NWs were affected by melting during the thermal degradation process, the chemical composition of the polyvinylpyrrolidone protective layer on the surfaces of the Ag NWs was not changed. Ultraviolet irradiation deformed the shapes of the Ag NWs because nitrogen or oxygen atoms were introduced to the silver atoms on the surfaces of the Ag NWs. A graphene-oxide flake was coated on the Ag NW electrodes by using a simple dipping method to prevent ultraviolet irradiation and ozone contact with the surfaces of the Ag NWs, and the increase in the sheet resistance in the graphene-oxide-treated Ag NWs was suppressed. These observations will be of assistance to researchers trying to find novel ways to improve the stability of the Ag NW electrodes in next-generation wearable devices.

Charge sensing in a Si/SiGe quantum dot with a radio frequency superconducting single-electron transistor Single charge detection in capacitively coupled integrated single electron transistors based on single-walled carbon nanotubes Appl. Phys. Lett. 101, 123506 (2012) Tunable aluminium-gated single electron transistor on a doped silicon-on-insulator etched nanowire Appl. Phys. Lett. 101, 103504 (2012) A few-electron quadruple quantum dot in a closed loop

A granular level model which is capable of predicting the bulk magnetic properties of coupled ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic layers is described. The model is used in an extensive investigation of the effect of the thermal instability of the antiferromagnetic layer as a function of the layer thickness, grain diameter, temperature, and the grain size distribution . The calculations give good qualitative agreement with experiment and provide an understanding of the role of the antiferromagnetic layer in determining the exchange bias field and the coercivity.

No abstract

No abstract