Improvement of Conductivity in Graphene by Ag Nanowires under a Non-Uniform Electric Field

Abstract

We demonstrated the precise positioning of silver nanowires (AgNWs) assisted by a non-uniform electric field to improve the sheet resistance of a graphene layer. The distribution of AgNWs aligned by dielectrophoretic force at a peak-to-peak voltage of 20 V was well matched to the results of the finite element method calculation. The sheet resistance of graphene obtained by the circular transmission line method was improved by the controlled integration with AgNWs. Effects of thermal annealing on the graphene-AgNW hybrid structures were also systematically characterized, demonstrating decreases in the sheet resistance by up to 20%. The results from our study suggest that the conductivity of graphene can be locally tailored by positioning AgNWs using dielectrophoresis. (C) 2014 The Electrochemical Society.