Cohesively Enhanced Conductivity and Adhesion of Flexible Silver Nanowire Networks by Biocompatible Polymer Sol–Gel Transition

Abstract

Silver nanowire (AgNW) networks are a promising candidate to replace indium tin oxide (ITO) as transparent conductors. In this paper, a novel transparent composite conductor composed of AgNW/biocompatible alginate gel on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate, with synchronously enhanced adhesion and reduced resistivity, is prepared without high‐temperature annealing. The sheet resistance of the flexible AgNW/PET film reduces from 300 to 50.3 Ohm sq−1 at transmittance of 94%. The optical and electrical performance is superior to that obtained from the flexible ITO film on PET. Meanwhile, the sheet resistance does not show great change after tape test, suggesting a good adhesion of AgNW to the polymer substrate. Moreover, the AgNW composite film shows a good stability to resist long‐term storage, solvent damage, and ultrasonication. Finally, polymer solar cells employing the composite AgNW film as the electrode are realized, displaying an efficiency of 2.44%.

Coating, patterning, and transferring processes of silver nanowire for flexible display and sensing applications

“…). These values were almost higher than those of literature reported values for AgNW TCFs (σ DC /σ Op ≈ 150, 200), and they were close to the commercial AgNW TCFs made by Carestream Health and Cambrios Technologies Corp…”

“…The transparent electrode can be rated by a figure of merit (FoM), the ratio of DC to optical conductivity (σ DC /σ Op ). For a high‐performance electrode, it is desirable to maintain a low Rs and a high T, which corresponds to a higher value of σ DC /σ Op .…”

Highly Stable Transparent Conductive Silver Grid/PEDOT:PSS Electrodes for Integrated Bifunctional Flexible Electrochromic Supercapacitors

“…[13][14][15][16] As a key component of these smart devices, the transparent electrodes used not only need to be highly transparent but also highly conductive to simultaneously meet the needs of charging/discharging under high current density conditions and that of fast coloration switching speeds. [17][18][19] Therefore, it is very important to design an electrode with a low electrical resistance and a high optical transmittance for smart energystorage device applications.A variety of fl exible transparent electrodes have been investigated as low-cost ITO substitutes, including conducting polymers, [ 20 ] carbon nanotubes (CNTs), [ 21 ] graphene, [ 22 ] metal nanowires, [ 23,24 ] and metal grids. [ 14 ] The sheet resistance of these transparent conducting electrodes is in the range of tens to hundreds of Ω per square, which could hinder the device charging/discharging process and may lead to the color changes lagging behind the changes in the stored energy, especially under high current densities.…”

“…A variety of fl exible transparent electrodes have been investigated as low-cost ITO substitutes, including conducting polymers, [ 20 ] carbon nanotubes (CNTs), [ 21 ] graphene, [ 22 ] metal nanowires, [ 23,24 ] and metal grids. [25][26][27] Among these fl exible Silver grids are attractive for replacing indium tin oxide as fl exible transparent conductors.…”

Metal‐Nanowire‐Electrode‐Based Perovskite Solar Cells: Challenging Issues and New Opportunities

“…Among such candidates, there is a consensus that MeNW-based electrodes have the most potential to meet the requirements of optoelectronic devices, to a level comparable with ITOs, in terms of both sheet resistance and optical transparency, as well as solution-processability. [15] MeNW-based electrodes are also flexible and stretchable, [17] which make it possible to widely expand their potential applications, unlike the case of conventional, oxide-based electrode materials.…”