Nanowire Composite Electrodes

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Summary: Researchers at UCLA have developed a simple procedure to fabricate highly flexible silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes on transparent polymer substrates demonstrating optimum electric properties, shape memory, and providing an alternative to the costly and brittle indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) electrodes   Background: As the demand for cheap, flexible, and lightweight transparent optoelectronic devices rapidly increases, various transparent electrodes have been investigated to replace ITO in order to enhance the flexibility and reduce the cost of the devices.   Innovation: Researchers at UCLA have demonstrated a simple method to fabricate flexible and transparent electrodes through creating a network of AgNW coating on polymer substrates. The electrodes exhibit higher electric conductivity than their ITO and single walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) counterparts. Additionally, because the AgNW coating have very smooth surface topography the proposed AgNW/polymer electrodes show negligible change under tensile and compressive strain and fully recover when returned to their un-deformed shape.   Applications: Optoelectronic devices Flexible and transparent organic LED, solar panels, touchscreen electronics, wearable displays, non-invasive biomedical devices   Advantages: Low cost and simple fabrication Compatible with large-scale manufacturing methods High electrical conductivity, high optical transparency