Transparent plasmonic nanowire electrodes via self-organised ion beam nanopatterning

A self-organised approach for the synthesis of transparent metal nanowire arrays is based on defocused ion beam sputtering. The nanowire arrays, supported on low-cost dielectric substrates (glass slides), feature a dual functionality: they exhibit anisotropic conductivity, with sheet resistances which are reduced in comparison to those of transparent conductive oxides, and additionally they support localised plasmon resonances. The latter represents an attractive feature in view of plasmon enhanced photon harvesting applications, in which the nanostructured metal electrodes are employed as an alternative to conventional transparent conductive oxides.