Abstract
We investigated the fabrication and functional behaviour of conductive silver-nanowire-polymer composites for prospective use in printing applications. Silver-nanowires with an aspect ratio of up to 1000 were synthesized using the polyol route and embedded in a UV-curable and printable polymer matrix. Sheet resistances in the composites down to 13 Ω/sq at an optical transmission of about 90% were accomplished. The silver-nanowire composite morphology and network structure was investigated by electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, profilometry, ellipsometry as well as surface sensitive X-ray scattering. By implementing different printing applications, we demonstrate that our silver nanowires can be used in different polymer composites. On the one hand, we used a tough composite for a 2D-printed film as top contact on a solar cell. On the other hand, a flexible composite was applied for a 3D-printed flexible capacitor.
Highlights
Nanowires offer an alternative approach, which circumvents the tunnelling resistance in the direction of the wire
Www.nature.com/scientificreports composites enable the fabrication of flexible electronic devices with complex geometric shapes, rapid prototyping, and high design flexibility due to additive manufacturing[1,35]
By using a tough and a flexible polymer matrix, we demonstrate the application of our Ag-NW composites as a solar cell top contact and as a 3D-printed flexible capacitor
Summary
Nanowires offer an alternative approach, which circumvents the tunnelling resistance in the direction of the wire. The sheet resistances of spray-coated Ag-NW layers are between 10 Ω/sq and 30 Ω/sq at transparencies of around 90%10,26. They are potential candidates for replacing indium tin oxide in, for example, solar cells[27]. Due to their high aspect ratio, ordered arrangements are possible, leading to an anisotropic conductive behavior[28,29]. The development of flexible electronics based on silver nanowires is progressing[30,31,32,33,34]. By using a tough and a flexible polymer matrix, we demonstrate the application of our Ag-NW composites as a solar cell top contact and as a 3D-printed flexible capacitor
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