Transparent conductors and methods for fabricating transparent conductors
View Patent ↗Transparent conductors with nanowires having silver oxide complexes and methods for fabricating such transparent conductors are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, a transparent conductor comprises a substrate and a transparent conductive coating disposed overlying the substrate. The coating comprises silver nanowires at least a portion of which has a silver oxide complex formed on or within surfaces thereof.
1. A transparent conductor comprising:
a substrate; and
a transparent conductive coating disposed overlying the substrate, wherein the transparent conductive coating comprises a plurality of silver nanowires, at least a portion of which has a silver oxide complex formed on or within surfaces thereof.
2. The transparent conductor of claim 1 , wherein at least about 20% of the plurality of silver nanowires has the silver oxide complex formed on or within surfaces thereof.
3. The transparent conductor of claim 1 , wherein the silver oxide complex has a refractive index (n) and an extinction coefficient (k), and wherein the silver oxide complex has a selected ratio (n:k) of the refractive index to the extinction coefficient that is determined, at least in part, by a predetermined concentration ratio of a concentration of silver oxide divided by a sum of the concentration of silver oxide and a concentration of di-silver oxide ([AgO]/([AgO]+[Ag 2 O])) of the silver oxide complex.
4. The transparent conductor of claim 3 , wherein the refractive index (n) of the silver oxide complex is in the range of about 0.3 to about 2.1.
5. The transparent conductor of claim 3 , wherein the extinction coefficient (k) of the silver oxide complex is in the range of about 0.1 to about 3.6.
6. The transparent conductor of claim 3 , wherein the selected ratio (n:k) is in the range of from about 0.08 to about 21.
7. A method for fabricating a transparent conductor, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a substrate; and
forming a transparent conductive coating comprising silver nanowires overlying the substrate, wherein the silver nanowires have silver oxides on or within surfaces of the silver nanowires.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of forming comprises the step of forming the transparent conductive coating such that the silver oxides are present in a silver oxide complex having a concentration ratio of a concentration of silver oxide ([AgO]) divided by a sum of the concentration of silver oxide and a concentration of di-silver oxide ([AgO]+[Ag 2 O]), and wherein the silver oxide complex exhibits a selected ratio (n:k) of its refractive index (n) divided by its extinction coefficient (k) that corresponds to the concentration ratio.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of forming a transparent conductive coating comprises the step of forming the transparent conductive coating such that the refractive index (n) of the selected ratio (n:k) is in the range of about 0.3 to about 2.1.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of forming a transparent conductive coating comprises the step of forming the transparent conductive coating such that the extinction coefficient (k) of the selected ratio (n:k) is in the range of about 0.3 to about 3.6.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of forming a transparent conductive coating comprises the step of forming the transparent conductive coating such that the selected ratio (n:k) is in the range of about 0.08 to about 21.