Selective metallic reinforcement of silver nanowire junctions for improving the electrical conductivity of transparent electrodes

Abstract

Even though silver nanowire (AgNW) films are one of the promising alternatives to indium tin oxide (ITO), the limitation of AgNW is still lower electrical conductivity compared to ITO. In this paper, we report the improvement in electrical conductivity of AgNW transparent electrodes through thermal and optical treatment of an organometallic compound. Morphological analysis and finite-element time-domain confirmed that the enhanced intensity of the electric field in the nanowire structures enabled selective metallic junction reinforcement even with a low-intensity ultraviolet lamp. The junction-enhanced AgNW substrate showed improved mechanical properties compared to pristine AgNWs. An organic light-emitting diode device also showed a similar to 30% improved luminance efficiency with the enhanced electrical conductivity. Due to the advantages of simple and low-cost junction enhancement without degradation in transmittance, the proposed method is expected to have practical applications in AgNW devices.