Synergetic effects of ligand exchange and reduction process enhancing both electrical and optical properties of Ag nanocrystals for multifunctional transparent electrodes

Min Su Kang, Hyungmok Joh, Haneun Kim, Hye Won Yun, Donggyu Kim, Ho Kun Woo, Woo Seok Lee, Sung Hoon Hong, Soong Ju Oh

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    14 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In this work, we introduce a low cost, room-temperature and atmospheric pressure based chemical method to produce highly transparent, conductive, and flexible nano-mesh structured electrodes using Ag nanocrystals (NCs). Sequential treatments of ligand exchange and reduction processes were developed to engineer the optoelectronic properties of Ag NC thin films. Combinatorial analysis indicates that the origin of the relatively low conductivity comes from the non-metallic compounds that are introduced during ligand exchange. The reduction process successfully removed these non-metallic compounds, yielding structurally uniform, optically more transparent, dispersive, and electrically more conductive thin films. We optimized the design of Ag NC thin film mesh structures, and achieved low sheet resistance (9.12 Ω □−1), high optical transmittance (94.7%), and the highest figure of merit (FOM) of 6.37 × 10−2. Solution processed flexible transparent heaters, touch pads, and wearable sensors are demonstrated, emphasizing the potential applications of Ag NC transparent electrodes in multifunctional sensors and devices.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)18415-18422
    Number of pages8
    JournalNanoscale
    Volume10
    Issue number38
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2018 Oct 14

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (2016R1C1B2006534) and Creative Materials Discovery Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by Ministry of Science and ICT (NRF-2018M3D1A1059001). This research was also supported by Korea Electric Power Corporation (R17XA05-12), Nano·Material Technology Development Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (2009-0082580).

    Publisher Copyright:
    © The Royal Society of Chemistry.

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Materials Science

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