Low Haze Transparent Conductive Electrodes and Method of Making the Same
A transparent conductive electrode comprising metal nanowires and method of making is described, wherein the transparent conductive electrode has a pencil hardness more than 1H, nanoporous surface having pore sizes less than 25 nm and surface roughness less than 50 nm. The transparent conductive electrode further comprises an index matching layer, having a refractive index between 1.1-1.5 and a thickness between 100-200 nm.
1 . A low haze transparent conductive electrode film, comprising:
a substrate, having a refractive index of n_sub;
a single transparent conductive layer, comprising metal nanowires, deposited on top of the substrate; and
an index-matching layer, comprising an anisotropic layer and having a refractive index of n_in,
wherein the value of n_in is greater than 1 and less than n_sub and said low haze transparent conductive electrode film has a hardness more than 1H, a light transmittance of more than 80% in the wavelength from 400-800 nm, and a sheet resistance of less than 350 ohms/square.
2 . The low haze transparent conductive electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the value of n_in is between 1.1 and 1.5.
3 . The low haze transparent conductive electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the value of n_sub is in the range of 1.2 and 2.25.
4 . The low haze transparent conductive electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the index-matching layer is about 100-200 nm.
5 . The low haze transparent conductive electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the hardness of the transparent conductive electrode film is more than 3H.
6 . The low haze transparent conductive electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the haze of the transparent conductive electrode film is less than 1.0.
7 . The low haze transparent conductive electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the sheet resistance is less than 100 ohms/square.
8 . The low haze transparent conductive electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the surface roughness of the film is less than 50 nm.
9 . The low haze transparent conductive electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the film has a nanoporous surface having a pore size less than 25 nm.
10 . The low haze transparent conductive electrode of claim 1 , wherein the index-matching layer comprise one or more conductive materials selected from a group consisting of Au, Ag, Cu, Pt, and Al.
11 . The low haze transparent conductive electrode of claim 1 , wherein the index-matching layer comprise one or more semi-conductive materials selected from a group consisting oxides of Ge, In, Sn, Zn and Ga.
12 . The low haze transparent conductive electrode of claim 1 , wherein the index-matching layer comprise one or more nonconductive materials selected from a group consisting of silicon dioxides, silicates, titania, polyurethane, PMMA, PVA and silicones.
13 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a plastic film composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphathalate (PEN), polycarbonate, cyclo-olefine polymer (COP) or cyclo-olefine copolymer COC, or combinations or copolymers of them.
14 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the single conductive material layer comprise conductive or semiconducting metal oxides from fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO), indium tin oxide (ITO), aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO), gallium doped zinc oxide (GZO), boron doped zinc oxide (BZO).
15 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein diameters of nanowires in the network ranges from 10 nm to 1 um.
16 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein diameters of nanowires in the network ranges from 10 nm to 50 nm.
17 . The conductive film of claim 1 , wherein the hardness of the film is more than 1H.
18 . The conductive film of claim 1 , wherein the surface roughness of the film is less than 50 nm.
19 . The conductive film of claim 1 , wherein the metal nanowire comprises silver nanowire.