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2013-06-low-cost-transparent-electrodes.pdf
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New low-cost, transparent electrodes27 June 2013
Indium tin oxide (ITO) has become a standardmaterial in light-emitting diodes, flat panel plasmadisplays, electronic ink and other applicationsbecause of its high performance, moistureresistance, and capacity for being finely etched.But indium is also rare and expensive, and itrequires a costly deposition process to make opto-electronic devices and makes for a brittleelectrode. Replacing indium as the default materialin transparent electrodes is a high priority for theelectronics industry.
Now, in a paper appearing in APL Materials, a newopen-access journal produced by AIP Publishing,researchers report creating a sturdy, transparent,and indium-free electrode from silver (Ag) andtitanium dioxide (TiO2) that could replace indium-based electrodes in some applications.
"Silver and titanium are much more abundant thanindium in the earth's crust, and so we anticipatethat electronic devices based on silver and titaniumdioxide would be a more sustainable materialssystem and be manufactured at a low cost," saidT.L. Alford, a professor of Materials Science andEngineering at Arizona State University who ledthe research.
The TiO2/Ag/TiO2 composite electrode multilayerfilm the researchers studied has been wellcharacterized in the literature, but the teamoptimized both the thickness of the silver layer andthe manufacturing process so that the multilayerfilm has a low sheet resistance and high opticaltransmittance, both properties necessary for high-performance.
The researchers created films with a sheetresistance as low as one sixth of that achieved byprevious studies, while maintaining approximately90 percent optical transmittance. With the choice ofan underlying substrate made of polyethylenenapthalate (PEN)a sturdy polymer used in avariety of applications from bottling carbonated
beverages to manufacturing flexible electronicstheresearchers added additional durability.
Because of a less expensive manufacturingprocess and the wide availability of titaniumdioxide, silver and PEN, the new TiO2/Ag/TiO2 thinfilm could one day help make devices such aselectronic displays and solar cells more affordableby replacing more expensive indium-basedelectrodes.
More information: dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4808438
Provided by American Institute of Physics
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APA citation: New low-cost, transparent electrodes (2013, June 27) retrieved 24 April 2015 from http://phys.org/news/2013-06-low-cost-transparent-electrodes.html
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