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A Practical ITO Replacement Strategy: Sputtering‐Free Processing of a Metallic Nanonetwork
Author(s) -
Xian Zhike,
Han Bing,
Li Songru,
Yang Chaobin,
Wu Sujuan,
Lu Xubing,
Gao Xingsen,
Zeng Min,
Wang Qianming,
Bai Pengfei,
Naughton Michael J.,
Zhou Guofu,
Liu JunMing,
Kempa Krzysztof,
Gao Jinwei
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced materials technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.184
H-Index - 42
ISSN - 2365-709X
DOI - 10.1002/admt.201700061
Subject(s) - materials science , sputtering , evaporation , indium tin oxide , amorphous solid , optoelectronics , sputter deposition , tin , nanotechnology , composite material , metallurgy , thin film , chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , thermodynamics
Metallic network, an important indium tin oxide (ITO) replacement, is extensively studied due to its advantages in optoelectronic properties and mechanical flexibility. Vacuum sputtering/evaporation‐free processing is an essential step for roll‐to‐roll production of low‐cost and large‐size metallic network transparent electrodes. In this paper, a high performance metallic crack‐nanonetwork (CNN) is demonstrated by employing a sputtering/evaporation‐free process, which combines advantages of the standard CNN processing with electroless plating, enabled by unique properties of the commercial amorphous fluoropolymer CYTOP. This network shows outstanding optoelectronic performance, with the best figure of merit ≈ 20000 (at T ≈ 86.4% and R s ≈ 0.13 Ω sq −1 ), as well as excellent mechanical flexibility and stability. This network outperforms the current industry standard, ITO, in performance and cost, as a result of the elimination of the sputtering/evaporation step. This is therefore a dramatic step toward replacing ITO with a metallic cracking nanonetwork.