Abstract
Silver nanowire transparent electrodes have received much attention as a replacement for indium tin oxide, particularly in organic solar cells. In this paper, we show that when silver nanowire electrodes conduct current at levels encountered in organic solar cells, the electrodes can fail in as little as 2 days. Electrode failure is caused by Joule heating which causes the nanowires to breakup and thus create an electrical discontinuity in the nanowire film. More heat is created, and thus failure occurs sooner, in more resistive electrodes and at higher current densities. Suggestions to improve the stability of silver nanowire electrodes are given.
Highlights
Transparent electrodes are a necessary component in a number of devices such as touch screens, liquid crystal displays, and organic light-emitting diodes
The power dissipated in the electrode is P = IV, so with a constant current and a gradually increasing voltage, the surface temperature gradually increased over time as well until electrode failure
Our study suggests that it is the instability of nanowires at elevated temperatures which is the reason for the electrode failure
Summary
Transparent electrodes are a necessary component in a number of devices such as touch screens, liquid crystal displays, and organic light-emitting diodes. The most commonly used transparent conductor, indium tin oxide (ITO), is expensive, has limited mechanical flexibility, and requires high deposition temperatures. Films consisting of random networks of solution-synthesized silver nanowires have emerged as a leading candidate [1,2]. Current conducts through the nanowires while light is able to pass through the open spaces between the nanowire networks. We have synthesized the nanowire films that have transparency and conductivity values better than competing new flexible technologies (e.g., carbon nanotube films, graphene, conductive polymers) and comparable to ITO. The nanowire electrodes are inexpensive, flexible, and compatible with roll-to-roll deposition techniques
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