Silver Nanowires Binding with Sputtered ZnO to Fabricate Highly Conductive and Thermally Stable Transparent Electrode for Solar Cell Applications

Abstract

Silver nanowire (AgNW) film has been demonstrated as excellent and low cost transparent electrode in organic solar cells as an alternative to replace scarce and expensive indium tin oxide (ITO). However, the low contact area and weak adhesion with low-lying surface as well as junction resistance between nanowires have limited the applications of AgNW film to thin film solar cells. To resolve this problem, we fabricated AgNW film as transparent conductive electrode (TCE) by binding with a thin layer of sputtered ZnO (40 nm) which not only increased contact area with low-lying surface in thin film solar cell but also improved conductivity by connecting AgNWs at the junction. The TCE thus fabricated exhibited transparency and sheet resistance of 92% and 20Ω/□, respectively. Conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) study revealed the enhancement of current collection vertically and laterally through AgNWs after coating with ZnO thin film. The CuInGaSe2 solar cell with TCE of our AgNW(ZnO) demonstrated the maximum power conversion efficiency of 13.5% with improved parameters in comparison to solar cell fabricated with conventional ITO as TCE.

Low Temperature Fabrication of Transparent Conductive Electrode With High Ultraviolet Transmittance Down to Wavelength of 250 nm

“…Furthermore, the low transmittance of ITO within ultraviolet region restricts its application in ultraviolet optoelectronics due to inter‐band absorption and light scattering by free electrons . Numerous alternatives for ITO have proved propitious, including carbonaceous materials, aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO), fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO), and metal nanowire network . Compared with the aforementioned conductive materials, the higher transmittance of metal nanowires into deep‐ultraviolet (≈200 nm) has motivated further research into the fabrication of ultraviolet‐transparent TCE for various optoelectronic applications …”

“…In comparison with their gold and copper counterparts, silver nanowire (AgNW) has obtained the attention of numerous research groups due to its lower cost and higher physiochemical stability . Although pristine AgNW demonstrated a remarkable transmittance from near‐infrared down to deep‐ultraviolet, its high junction resistance, resulting from poor interconnections of nanowire networks, has been addressed by several researchers . This issue was resolved by the deposition of transparent conductive materials to fill the pores and empty spaces within nanowire networks to enhance their conductivity.…”

“…This issue was resolved by the deposition of transparent conductive materials to fill the pores and empty spaces within nanowire networks to enhance their conductivity. In regards to the physical instability of AgNW at 200 °C, numerous low temperature‐based techniques were contrived such as electron‐beam evaporation, atomic layer deposition, sputtering, and solution‐processed deposition for coating metal oxides and/or conductive polymers on AgNW . Diverse metal oxides were deposited on AgNW, including ZnMgO, AZO, indium doped zinc oxide (IZO), MoO 3 , and ZnO .…”

“…In regards to the physical instability of AgNW at 200 °C, numerous low temperature‐based techniques were contrived such as electron‐beam evaporation, atomic layer deposition, sputtering, and solution‐processed deposition for coating metal oxides and/or conductive polymers on AgNW . Diverse metal oxides were deposited on AgNW, including ZnMgO, AZO, indium doped zinc oxide (IZO), MoO 3 , and ZnO . Besides, numerous polymeric materials such as poly (3,4‐ethylenediowythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polydopamine, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were infused within AgNW networks .…”

Fabrication of Transparent Conductive Film with Flexible Silver Nanowires Using Roll‐to‐Roll Slot‐Die Coating and Calendering and Its Application to Resistive Touch Panel

“…[1,2] This is a functional film that is electrically conductive while transmitting light in the visible region. [7][8][9] The demand for TCFs has continued to increase in step with that for mobile electronic products, and much research has been conducted in terms of materials and processes for manufacturing TCFs, which offer stable performance and can be mass produced. [7][8][9] The demand for TCFs has continued to increase in step with that for mobile electronic products, and much research has been conducted in terms of materials and processes for manufacturing TCFs, which offer stable performance and can be mass produced.…”