Electrospray deposition of silver nanowire films for transparent electrodes

Silver nanowire (AgNWs) films were fabricated as transparent electrodes by electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The effects of solution concentration, spray flow rate, applied high voltage, and annealing temperature were characterized to obtain uniform films. AgNWs thin film was produced with ca. 20 Ω/[square] sheet resistance and 83% transparency in the visible range. Morphologies, optical and electrical properties, and stabilities of the films were investigated in this work. A maximum ratio of DC to optical conductivity of 288 was achieved in a 120 nm thick AgNW thin film. Chemical stability was evaluated in various solvents and we found that solvents had little effect on conductivity.