Effective Indium-Doped Zinc Oxide Buffer Layer on Silver Nanowires for Electrically Highly Stable, Flexible, Transparent, and Conductive Composite Electrodes

Abstract

We demonstrate a flexible, transparent, and conductive composite electrode comprising silver nanowires (Ag NWs), and indium-doped zinc oxide (IZO) layers. IZO is sputtered onto an Ag NW layer, with the unique structural features of the resulting composite suitable as a flexible, transparent, conductive electrode. The IZO buffer layer prohibits surface oxidation of the Ag NW, and is thereby effective in preventing undesirable changes in electrical properties. The newly designed composite electrode is a promising alternative to conventional ITO films for the production of flexible and transparent electrodes to be applied in next-generation flexible electronic devices.