Beyond flexibility: transparent silver nanowire electrodes on patterned surfaces for reconfigurable devices

Xia, Y., Yalagala, B. P., Karimullah, A. S. , Heidari, H. and Ghannam, R. (2024) Beyond flexibility: transparent silver nanowire electrodes on patterned surfaces for reconfigurable devices. Advanced Engineering Materials, 26(1), 2301165. (doi: 10.1002/adem.202301165)

Abstract

Silver Nanowire (AgNW) is emerging as a next-generation transparent electrode material, offering enhanced flexibility and ease of fabrication compared to traditional transparent electrode materials, such as metallic oxides. Previous research has demonstrated the uniform deposition of AgNWs on flat surfaces, exhibiting high conductivity, flexibility, and excellent transmittance. However, the evolution of nano-electronics technology has necessitated the fabrication of transparent electrodes on non-flat surfaces, such as those found in zenithal bistable devices (ZBDs) and reconfigurable Fresnel lenses. In this study, we proposed a method to deposit AgNW material on uneven surfaces using the Mylar bar-coating method, with a Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-based Fresnel lens serving as the target surface. Additionally, we investigated the impact of varying AgNW suspension concentrations on transmittance and sheet resistance. To further reduce sheet resistance, a layer of conductive polymer, PEDOT:PSS, was deposited on the AgNWs. Our measurements revealed that a 2 mg/mL sample exhibited a sheet resistance of 187.83 Ω/□ with 87.4% transmittance at 550 nm. After the PEDOT:PSS process, the sheet resistance decreased to 122.84 Ω/□ with 84.4% transmittance. This research offers a solution for the uniform deposition of AgNWs on patterned surfaces, paving the way for the next generation of optical devices.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Ghannam, Professor Rami and Yalagala, Mr Bhavani and Heidari, Professor Hadi and Xia, Yuanjie and Karimullah, Dr Affar
• Authors: Xia, Y., Yalagala, B. P., Karimullah, A. S., Heidari, H., and Ghannam, R.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Chemistry; College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
• Journal Name: Advanced Engineering Materials
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 1438-1656
• ISSN (Online): 1527-2648
• Published Online: 09 November 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Author(s)
• First Published: First published in Advanced Engineering Materials 26(1):2301165
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license