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. 2015;7(1):51-58.
doi: 10.1007/s40820-014-0018-0. Epub 2014 Nov 14.

Silver Nanowire Electrodes: Conductivity Improvement Without Post-treatment and Application in Capacitive Pressure Sensors

Jun Wang  1   2 , Jinting Jiu  2 , Teppei Araki  2 , Masaya Nogi  2 , Tohru Sugahara  2 , Shijo Nagao  2 , Hirotaka Koga  2 , Peng He  1 , Katsuaki Suganuma  2
Affiliations

Silver Nanowire Electrodes: Conductivity Improvement Without Post-treatment and Application in Capacitive Pressure Sensors

Jun Wang et al. Nanomicro Lett. 2015.

Abstract

Transparent electrode based on silver nanowires (AgNWs) emerges as an outstanding alternative of indium tin oxide film especially for flexible electronics. However, the conductivity of AgNWs transparent electrode is still dramatically limited by the contact resistance between nanowires at high transmittance. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) layer adsorbed on the nanowire surface acts as an electrically insulating barrier at wire-wire junctions, and some devastating post-treatment methods are proposed to reduce or eliminate PVP layer, which usually limit the application of the substrates susceptible to heat or pressure and burden the fabrication with high-cost, time-consuming, or inefficient processes. In this work, a simple and rapid pre-treatment washing method was proposed to reduce the thickness of PVP layer from 13.19 to 0.96 nm and improve the contact between wires. AgNW electrodes with sheet resistances of 15.6 and 204 Ω sq-1 have been achieved at transmittances of 90 and 97.5 %, respectively. This method avoided any post-treatments and popularized the application of high-performance AgNW transparent electrode on more substrates. The improved AgNWs were successfully employed in a capacitive pressure sensor with high transparency, sensitivity, and reproducibility.

Keywords: Pre-treatment; Pressure sensor; Silver nanowire; Transparent electrode.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
AgNWs were successfully synthesized by one-step polyol method using PVP as a capping agent. a,b The length and diameter distribution of the as-synthesized AgNWs.Inset: morphology of AgNWs, low resolution (Scale bar = 50 μm) and high resolution (Scale bar = 1 μm). c The thickness distribution of PVP nanolayer on the surface of AgNWs.Inset: the TEM image of individual AgNW with PVP nanolayer. Scale bar = 20 nm
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Average thickness distribution of PVP nanolayer.Inset: TEM images of AgNWs washed with ethanol for different cycles. Scale bar = 10 nm
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Sheet resistance of AgNW electrodes with transmittances at 550 nm wavelength. Electrodes with original AgNWs were applied to compare with the ones with AgNWs washed in ethanol for different cycles
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
a Average thickness of tailored PVP nanolayer before and after further washing treatment in DMF or DI water.Inset: morphology of tailored PVP nanolayer after further dissolution treatment. Scale bar = 5 nm. b Sheet resistance of AgNW electrodes with high transmittance above 95 % at 550 nm wavelength, employing E4-AgNWs and AgNWs further treated in DMF or DI water
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
The optoelectrical performance of electrodes with W90-AgNWs compared with that of the other reported transparent electrodes
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Electrodes with modified AgNWs were employed in capacitive pressure sensor application. a Capacitance response to pulsed pressure of 0.5 and 1.0 kPa, respectively. b Capacitance change ΔC/C0 of the pressure sensor with modified and unmodified AgNWs at various transmittances
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