Gravure printed hydrophobic templates onto PET films for guiding the assembly of nanowires: Towards the ultralow-cost transparent conductive electrodes

We present our work of fabricating silver nanowires (Ag NWs) network with regularity and homogeneity as the transparent conductive electrodes for optoelectronic applications. Though patterning hydrophobic materials (e.g. PDMS) onto the substrate (polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) surface, we are able to adjust the surface energy level between the patterned and un-patterned area, which is crucial to the wetting/dewetting of the solution of the Ag NWs. This allows us to control the distribution of the percolated Ag NWs network evenly in the unprinted areas. In this way, we can fabricate transparent electrode very conveniently through a general printing method coupled with a deposition-drying process. The Ag NW network displays 2-D electrical conductivity and excellent optical transparency, which provides promising alternatives to ITO as transparent conductive electrodes.