Mixed-dimension silver nanowires for solution-processed, flexible, transparent and conducting electrodes with improved optical and physical properties

Abstract

In this work, we present an alternative method for the spray coating of silver nanowire contact electrodes by employing a mixture of short and long nanowires. Mixed silver nanowires are found to give improved optical properties with 2–5% higher transparency for the same sheet resistance of 25 Ω sq−1 compared to silver nanowires prepared with a single geometry. The figure of merit for the 25 Ω sq−1 sheet resistance electrode is found to be highest for the mixed-composition AgNWs-M1 (mixture of AgNWs-30L and AgNWs-60S) electrodes. The average root mean square surface roughness (Rq) parameter by white light interferometry is found to be lower for mixed-composition silver nanowire electrodes (Rq = 3–4 nm) compared to individual parent fixed-dimension-type silver nanowire electrodes (Rq = 6–8 nm).