SBIR Phase I: Silver Nanowire-Polymer Composite Transparent Electrodes

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在开发基于银纳米线和聚合物衬底的透明电极，以取代氧化铟锡，应用于薄膜和柔性电子设备。该方法是形成一种银纳米线-聚合物复合材料，其片电阻和透射率与涂在玻璃上的氧化铟锡相当。采用转移技术制备光滑的无突出银纳米线的电极表面。该项目的预期成果是一种新的透明电极技术，其表面粗糙度小于10纳米，透射率为85%，每平方片电阻为10欧姆。该项目还将展示基于复合电极的高性能薄膜电子器件。该项目的广泛/商业影响将是提供铟锡氧化物的可行替代品，以降低有机发光二极管、薄膜太阳能电池和液晶显示器等重要电子设备的生产成本。这些设备的综合市场在不久的将来代表着一个巨大的增长机会。然而，铟成本的上升和氧化铟锡缺乏柔韧性已经成为一个主要的挑战。在这个项目中，将开发新的复合电极，预计其成本低，灵活甚至可拉伸，而不会影响设备性能。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop transparent electrodes based on silver nanowires and polymer substrates to replace indium tin oxide for applications in thin-film and flexible electronic devices. The approach is to form a silver nanowire-polymer composite with sheet resistance and transmission comparable to indium tin oxide coated on glass. A transfer technique will be employed to produce smooth electrode surface free of protruding silver nanowires. The expected outcome of the project is a new transparent electrode technology, with less than 10 nm surface roughness, 85% transmission, and 10 ohm per square sheet resistance. The project will also demonstrate high-performance thin-film electronic devices based on the composite electrodes. The broader/commercial impact of this project will be the potential to provide a viable alternative to indium tin oxide to reduce the production cost of important electronic devices such as organic light emitting diodes, thin-film solar cells, and liquid crystal displays. The combined markets for these devices represent a substantial growth opportunity in the near future. However, the rising cost of indium and the lack of flexibility of indium tin oxide have become a major challenge. In this project, new composite electrodes will be developed, which are anticipated to be low cost, flexible and even stretchable without compromising device performance.