Aligned silver nanowire-based transparent electrodes for engineering polarisation-selective optoelectronics

Abstract

We herein report on a remarkably simple, fast, and economic way of fabricating homogeneous and well oriented silver nanowires (AgNWs) that exhibit strong in-plane electrical and optical anisotropies. Using a small quantity of AgNW suspension, the horizontal-dip (H-dip) coating method was applied, in which highly oriented AgNWs were deposited unidirectionally along the direction of coating over centimetre-scale lengths very rapidly. In applying the H-dip-coating method, we adjusted the shear strain rate of the capillary flow in the Landau-Levich meniscus of the AgNW suspension, which induced a high degree of uniaxial orientational ordering (0.37–0.43) of the AgNWs, comparable with the ordering seen in archetypal nematic liquid crystal (LC) materials. These AgNWs could be used to fabricate not only transparent electrodes, but also LC-alignment electrodes for LC devices and/or polarising electrodes for organic photovoltaic devices, having the potential to revolutionise the architectures of a number of polarisation-selective opto-electronic devices for use in printed/organic electronics.

Nanoridge patterns on polymeric film by a photodegradation copying method for metallic nanowire networks

“…The AgNW networks were perfectly copied on the PET lm as ridge networks, indicating multiple possibilities of ridge distributions if the nanowire alignment methods are applied. [35][36][37] The high magnication image of the radial ridge pattern is shown in Fig. 5f.…”

Flexible Sensing Electronics for Wearable/Attachable Health Monitoring

“…However, the contact resistance at the interface between the nanowires still casts a shadow on the electrical stability when bending. To eliminate the negative influence from contact resistance, scientists reduced the contact points and contact resistance by aligning and welding the nanowires of network films . However, new methods and technologies still need to be developed because the method of welding nanowires is only applicable for specific materials.…”

Spray-assisted alignment of Layer-by-Layer assembled silver nanowires: a general approach for the preparation of highly anisotropic nano-composite films

“…See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr08045f ones 10,12 as they could find applications as transparent conductive electrode materials, 13 plasmonic waveguides, 9,14 antennas 15 or sensors. 16,17 A variety of methods, 18 including Langmuir-Blodgett deposition, 19,20 blown bubble film transfer, 21 dip-coating, 22 H-bar dip-coating, 23 doctor-blade casting, 24 capillary printing 25 and the use of electrical or magnetic fields, 26 have been suggested to control the assembly and in-plane alignment of rod-like nano-objects. Other techniques use flow-induced shear in fluidic cells, 27 in a capillary, 17,28 or by evaporating spray droplets arriving on hot surfaces.…”