SBIR Phase I: Scale Manufacturing and Lifetime Study of Nanostructured Composite Transparent Electrodes

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop a flexible transparent conductor with better performance and lower cost than indium-doped tin oxide (ITO). The approach is to produce smooth films composed of sparse meshes of silver nanowires, which are highly conductive and flexible, yet transmit light with high efficiency. Films prepared on a laboratory scale have demonstrated higher conductivity for a given transparency, and higher total conductivity than the most conductive ITO available. This project will focus on process development for the production and patterning of large-area conductive films at high throughputs required by industrial applications. The broader/commercial impact of this project will be the potential to provide transparent conductive films with better performance than ITO at significantly lower cost and better mechanical flexibility. Transparent conductors are crucial parts of optoelectronic devices, including liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light emitting diodes (LEDs), capacitive touch screens, solar cells, electronic ink readers, and others. ITO is the primary transparent conductor currently in use that meets the performance required by these devices. However, the price of ITO has been increasing steadily as the supply of indium dwindles and demand for optoelectronic devices grows. Furthermore, ITO is a brittle material and cannot be used in flexible devices. Silver nanowire films do not suffer from these limitations, and thus are expected to be a low-cost alternative to ITO and an enabling technology that allows the flexible electronics market to emerge.