Planar silver nanowire,carbon nanotube and PEDOT:PSS nanocomposite transparent electrodes

Highly conductive, transparent and flexible planar electrodes were fabricated using interwoven silver nanowires and single-walled carbon nanotubes (AgNW:SWCNT) in a PEDOT:PSS matrix via an epoxy transfer method from a silicon template. The planar electrodes achieved a sheet resistance of 6.6 ± 0.0 Ω/□ and an average transmission of 86% between 400 and 800 nm. A high figure of merit of 367 Ω⁻¹ is reported for the electrodes, which is much higher than that measured for indium tin oxide and reported for other AgNW composites. The AgNW:SWCNT:PEDOT:PSS electrode was used to fabricate low temperature (annealing free) devices demonstrating their potential to function with a range of organic semiconducting polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction blend systems.     

Fabrication of silver nanowire transparent electrodes at room temperature

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) surrounded by insulating poly(vinylpyrrolidone) have been synthesized by a polyol process and employed as transparent electrodes. The AgNW transparent electrodes can be fabricated by heat-treatment at about 200 °C which forms connecting junctions between AgNWs. Such a heating process is, however, one of the drawbacks of the fabrication of AgNW electrodes on heat-sensitive substrates. Here it has been demonstrated that the electrical conductivity of AgNW electrodes can be improved by mechanical pressing at 25 MPa for 5 s at room temperature. This simple process results in a low sheet resistance of 8.6 Ω/square and a transparency of 80.0%, equivalent to the properties of the AgNW electrodes heated at 200 °C. This technique makes it possible to fabricate AgNW transparent electrodes on heat-sensitive substrates. The AgNW electrodes on poly(ethylene terephthalate) films exhibited high stability of their electrical conductivities against the repeated bending test. In addition, the surface roughness of the pressed AgNW electrodes is one-third of that of the heat-treated electrode because the AgNW junctions are mechanically compressed. As a result, an organic solar cell fabricated on the pressed AgNW electrodes exhibited a power conversion as much as those fabricated on indium tin oxide electrodes. These findings enable continuous roll-to-roll processing at room temperature, resulting in relatively simple, inexpensive, and scalable processing that is suitable for forthcoming technologies such as organic solar cells, flexible displays, and touch screens.      

Highly flexible and transparent conducting silver nanowire/ZnO composite film for organic solar cells

High efficiency and flexible inverted organic solar cells have been fabricated using solution-processed silver nanowire/zinc oxide composite transparent electrodes. The transparent electrodes showed a low sheet resistance of -13 ff）.sq-1 and high transmittance of -93% as well as superior mechanical flexibility. Power conversion efficiencies of -7.57% and -7.21% were achieved for devices fabricated on glass and plastic substrate, respectively. Moreover, the flexible devices did not show any degradation in their performance even after being folded with a radius of-480 μm.     

Synthesis of multi-walled carbon nanotube/silver nanocomposite powders by chemical reduction in aqueous solution

Carbon nanotube (CNT)/silver nanocomposite powders with different volume fractions of CNTs 2.5, 5 and 10?vol.% were prepared by chemical reduction in solution. Multi-walled CNTs underwent surface modifications for functionalisations by acid treatments. The acid-treated CNTs were investigated by FT-IR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The spectroscopic investigations of the acid-functionalised CNTs detected that several kinds of functional groups attached with the graphene structure as well as produced short and de-caped CNTs. Acidic stannous chloride solution was used to sensitise the surface of the functionalised CNTs. Silver was deposited on the surface of sensitised CNTs with chemical reduction reaction of alkaline silver nitrate solution by formaldehyde at room temperature and pH?～?9. The morphology of the produced CNT/silver nanocomposite powder was investigated by high-resolution SEM and TEM. It was observed that the produced CNT/silver nanocomposite powders have decorated type of spherical silver particle size 2–5?nm deposited on the surface of CNTs as well as the CNTs were implanted in large spherical silver nanoparticles of particle size ～200?nm. The chemical analysis of the produced powder indicates that some oxygen content is included in the prepared powders which can be reduced by heat treatment at temperatures between 300°C and 400°C under hydrogen atmosphere.     

Highly conductive interwoven carbon nanotube and silver nanowire transparent electrodes

Abstract

Electrodes fabricated using commercially available silver nanowires (AgNWs) and single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) produced sheet resistances in the range 4–24 Ω □^?1 with specular transparencies up to 82 %. Increasing the aqueous dispersibility of SWCNTs decreased the bundle size present in the film resulting in improved SWCNT surface dispersion in the films without compromising transparency or sheet resistance. In addition to providing conduction pathways between the AgNW network, the SWCNTs also provide structural support, creating stable self-supporting films. Entanglement of the AgNWs and SWCNTs was demonstrated to occur in solution prior to deposition by monitoring the transverse plasmon resonance mode of the AgNWs during processing. The interwoven AgNW/SWCNT structures show potential for use in optoelectronic applications as transparent electrodes and as an ITO replacement.     

Emerging transparent electrodes based on thin films of carbon nanotubes, graphene, and metallic nanostructures

Transparent electrodes are a necessary component in many modern devices such as touch screens, LCDs, OLEDs, and solar cells, all of which are growing in demand. Traditionally, this role has been well served by doped metal oxides, the most common of which is indium tin oxide, or ITO. Recently, advances in nano-materials research have opened the door for other transparent conductive materials, each with unique properties. These include CNTs, graphene, metal nanowires, and printable metal grids. This review will explore the materials properties of transparent conductors, covering traditional metal oxides and conductive polymers initially, but with a focus on current developments in nano-material coatings. Electronic, optical, and mechanical properties of each material will be discussed, as well as suitability for various applications.     

碳纳米管/导电聚苯胺纳米复合纤维的合成与表征

为实现碳纳米管在树脂内形成一体化导电网络,从而制备出透明导电性能最优的有机透明导电涂层,必须把导电性的碳纳米管纤维在树脂内有效地组装成一体化导电结构网络。本文报道运用在树脂内可以自组装的导电苯胺来实现碳纳米管纤维自组装的方法．合成出了导电聚苯胺纳米薄膜均匀包覆的碳纳米管/导电聚苯胺纳米复合纤维．并运用透射电镜、傅立叶红外光谱以及四探针法表面电阻测试仪对合成出的具有精细微观结构的纳米复合纤维进行了表征．发现合成出了理想的碳纳米管/导电聚苯胺纳米复合纤维,并且其导电性较碳纳米管和导电聚苯胺自身都有大幅度的提高。这种特殊结构的纳米复合纤维的制备为组装高性能的聚合物基透明导电涂层奠定了坚实基础,而且这种自组装方法为各种纳米纤维的组装提供了可能。     

Carbon nanotube based transparent conductive films: progress,challenges, and perspectives

Developments in the manufacturing technology of low-cost, high-quality carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are leading to increased industrial applications for this remarkable material. One of the most promising applications, CNT based transparent conductive films (TCFs), are an alternative technology in future electronics to replace traditional TCFs, which use indium tin oxide. Despite significant price competition among various TCFs, CNT-based TCFs have good potential for use in emerging flexible, stretchable and wearable optoelectronics. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in the fabrication, properties, stability and applications of CNT-based TCFs. The challenges of current CNT-based TCFs for industrial use, in comparison with other TCFs, are considered. We also discuss the potential of CNT-based TCFs, and give some possible strategies to reduce the production cost and improve their conductivity and transparency.     

Aligned carbon nanotube sheets for the electrodes of organic solar cells

Aligned carbon nanotube sheets are developed as a new family of electrodes to fabricate dye-sensitized solar cells. The energy conversion efficiency of the resulting cell is higher than the randomly dispersed carbon nanotube film and comparable with the platinum. Novel and flexible solar cells can be easily made from such carbon nanotube sheets with high potentials.     

Building desired heterojunctions of semiconductor CdS nanowire and carbon nanotube via AAO template-based approach

Heterojunctions of CdS nanowire (CdSNW) and carbon nanotube (CNT) have been achieved in the nanochannels of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates via sequentially electrodepositing CdSNWs and chemical vapor depositing CNTs. Transport measurements reveal that Ohmic-like behavior has been achieved, which may result from a very low energy barrier in the junction of CdSNW/CNT. Furthermore, three-segment heterostructures of CNT/CdSNW/CNT have also been obtained by adding a procedure of selectively etching part of the deposited CdSNWs before chemical vapor depositing CNTs. The approach could be exploited to build nanodevices and functional networks consisting of well-interconnected two- or three-segment nanoheterostructures.     

Effect of sintering on thermally sprayed carbon nanotube reinforced aluminum nanocomposite

Reconsolidation of thermally spray formed (plasma and high velocity oxyfuel spraying) hypereutectic Al–Si nanocomposites with multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) reinforcement was carried out by inert atmosphere sintering for prolonged time periods. The sintering treatment resulted in the removal of porosity and residual stress, and increase in size and volume fraction of primary Si particles in the Al–Si matrix. The morphology of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in sintered nanocomposites remained unchanged after sintering. The interfacial ultrathin product layer of silicon carbide between MWCNT reinforcement and Al–Si matrix was unaltered. Microhardness and elastic modulus of the sintered nanocomposites were influenced by combined effect of multiple factors, i.e. reduction in porosity, residual stress removal and MWCNT distribution. Overall improvement of microhardness and elastic modulus of the sintered nanocomposites was observed. The experimentally measured elastic modulus values were compared with theoretically estimated values using micromechanics models.     

A transparent,solvent-free laminated top electrode for perovskite solar cells

A simple lamination process of the top electrode for perovskite solar cells is demonstrated. The laminate electrode consists of a transparent and conductive plastic/metal mesh substrate, coated with an adhesive mixture of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate), PEDOT:PSS, and sorbitol. The laminate electrode showed a high degree of transparency of 85%. Best cell performance was achieved for laminate electrodes prepared with a sorbitol concentration of ~30 wt% per milliliter PEDOT:PSS dispersion, and using a pre-annealing temperature of 120°C for 10 min before lamination. Thereby, perovskite solar cells with stabilized power conversion efficiencies of (7.6 ± 1.0)% were obtained which corresponds to 80% of the reference devices with reflective opaque gold electrodes.     

Synthesis and purification of long copper nanowires. Application to high performance flexible transparent electrodes with and without PEDOT:PSS

We demonstrate the hydrothermal synthesis of long copper nanowires based on a simple protocol. We show that the purification of the nanowires is very important and can be achieved easily by wet treatment with glacial acetic acid. Fabrication of random networks of purified copper nanowires leads to flexible transparent electrodes with excellent optoelectronic performances （e.g., 55 Ω/sq. at 94% transparency）. The process is carried out at room temperature and no post-treatment is necessary. Hybrid materials with the conductive polymer PEDOT：PSS show similar properties （e.g., 46 Ω/sq, at 93% transparency）, with improved mechanical properties. Both electrodes were integrated in capacitive touch sensors.     

碳纳米管薄膜电极的制备及电容吸附性能

采用低压CVD法制备得到的金属镍基碳纳米管薄膜直接作为电容去离子器（CDD）的电极材料，并对碳纳米管薄膜进行了扫描电镜观察和比表面与孔径分析，探讨了该电极材料的电容吸附性能。NaF溶液的吸附实验结果表明：该电极材料的去离子效果明显、且可再生和重复使用。     

Nanocomposites of triazole functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube with chemically grafted polyimide: preparation,characterization, and properties

In order to improve the dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in polyimide (PI) matrix and the interfacial interaction between MWCNTs and PI, 3,5-diamino-N-(1H-[1,2,4]triazol-3-yl)-benzamide (DTB)-functionalized MWCNTs (DTB-MWCNTs) were synthesized by amidation reaction. The DTB-MWCNTs were analyzed by several techniques. DTB-MWCNTs were used as a platform for the grafting of a DTB-based PI in N,N′-dimethylformamide solution with different loadings of DTB-MWCNTs to produce PI-grafted MWCNT (PI-g-MWCNT) composites. The thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of the PI-g-MWCNT composites were improved compared with PI due to the homogeneous dispersion of DTB-MWCNTs and strong interfacial covalent bonds between DTB-MWCNTs and the PI chain.