Metal Nanowire Networks: The Next Generation of Transparent Conductors

Abstract

There is an ongoing drive to replace the most common transparent conductor, indium tin oxide (ITO), with a material that gives comparable performance, but can be coated from solution at speeds orders of magnitude faster than the sputtering processes used to deposit ITO. Metal nanowires are currently the only alternative to ITO that meets these requirements. This Progress Report summarizes recent advances toward understanding the relationship between the structure of metal nanowires, the electrical and optical properties of metal nanowires, and the properties of a network of metal nanowires. Using the structure-property relationship of metal nanowire networks as a roadmap, this Progress Report describes different synthetic strategies to produce metal nanowires with the desired properties. Practical aspects of processing metal nanowires into high-performance transparent conducting films are discussed, as well as the use of nanowire films in a variety of applications.

Large-Scale Cu Nanowire Synthesis by PVP-Ethylene Glycol Route

“…However, the material cost and migration caused in moist conditions are considered detrimental to their use in TCF and researches on alternative metallic NWs are being considered. Consequently, the research on the development of Cu NWs are on the rise due to the availability of cheap and abundant resources, high electrical properties, and low migration problem despite the fact that Cu has showed low stability in moist and oxidizing atmospheres [4][5][6][7][8]. Consequently, several physical and chemical routes have been developed to synthesize Cu NWs; however, in most cases, the chemical routes are considered due to simplicity and scalability of these techniques in contrast to other routes [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22].…”

Synthesis of copper nanorods by aqueous solution method without heating external

“…The average diameters of CuNRs were 200 to 300 nm with lengths of 3 to 7 μm. The diameter and length of CuNRs could be controlled by changing the molar ratio of the solution [12]. The composition of Cu (NO 3 ) 2 .3H 2 O above 0.2 M affects the diameter of CuNRs becomes larger.…”

“…The optimum heating is at 60 °C [9]. The CuNRs production is highly dependent on the reduction and capping process [12]. The reduction process is a process of reduction reaction of Cu ions to a neutral Cu.…”

Nanomaterial-based stretchable and transparent electrodes

“…Although there have been efforts to prevent the oxidization of CuNWs through chemical treatments, the use of only CuNWs always accompanies the likelihood of oxidation [45,46]. These chemical and thermal instabilities of CuNWs are the main challenges to their use as stretchable and transparent electrodes.…”

“…To increase the stretchability of CuNW-based stretchable and transparent electrodes, several strategies have been suggested, such as aspect ratio control, selective nanowelding, and embedding [40][41][42][43][44][45][46]. One way of improving the stretchability of the CuNW-based transparent electrode is the selective nanowelding developed by Han et al [42].…”