DC Magnetron Sputtered IZTO Thin Films for Organic Photovoltaic Application.

IZTO20 (In0.6Zn0.2Sn0.2O1.5) ceramic target was prepared from oxide mixture of In2O3, ZnO, and SnO2 powders. IZTO20 thin films were then deposited onto glass substrate at 400 °C by DC magnetron sputtering. The average optical transmittance determined by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy was higher than 85% for all films. The minimum resistivity of the annealed IZTO20 thin film was approximately 6.1×10-4 Ω·cm, which tended to increase with decreasing indium content. Substrate heating and annealing were found to be important parameters affecting the electrical and optical properties. An organic photovoltaic (OPV) cell was fabricated using the IZTO20 film deposited under the optimized condition as an anode electrode and the efficiency of up to 80% compared to that of a similar OPV cell using ITO film was observed. Reduction of surface roughness and electrical resistivity through annealing treatment was found to contribute to the improved efficiency of the OPV cell.

Highly Sensitive, Transparent, and Durable Pressure Sensors Based on Sea-Urchin Shaped Metal Nanoparticles.

Highly sensitive, transparent, and durable pressure sensors are fabricated using sea-urchin-shaped metal nanoparticles and insulating polyurethane elastomer. The pressure sensors exhibit outstanding sensitivity (2.46 kPa-1 ), superior optical transmittance (84.8% at 550 nm), fast response/relaxation time (30 ms), and excellent operational durability. In addition, the pressure sensors successfully detect minute movements of human muscles.

Copper nanowire-graphene core-shell nanostructure for highly stable transparent conducting electrodes.

A copper nanowire-graphene (CuNW-G) core-shell nanostructure was successfully synthesized using a low-temperature plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process at temperatures as low as 400 °C for the first time. The CuNW-G core-shell nanostructure was systematically characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. A transparent conducting electrode (TCE) based on the CuNW-G core-shell nanostructure exhibited excellent optical and electrical properties compared to a conventional indium tin oxide TCE. Moreover, it showed remarkable thermal oxidation and chemical stability because of the tight encapsulation of the CuNW with gas-impermeable graphene shells. The potential suitability of CuNW-G TCE was demonstrated by fabricating bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells. We anticipate that the CuNW-G core-shell nanostructure can be used as an alternative to conventional TCE materials for emerging optoelectronic devices such as flexible solar cells, displays, and touch panels.

Highly stable and flexible silver nanowire-graphene hybrid transparent conducting electrodes for emerging optoelectronic devices.

A new AgNW-graphene hybrid transparent conducting electrode (TCE) was prepared by dry-transferring a chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown monolayer graphene onto a pristine AgNW TCE. The AgNW-graphene hybrid TCE exhibited excellent optical and electrical properties as well as mechanical flexibility. The AgNW-graphene hybrid TCE showed highly enhanced thermal oxidation and chemical stabilities because of the superior gas-barrier property of the graphene protection layer. Furthermore, the organic solar cells with the AgNW-graphene hybrid TCE showed excellent photovoltaic performance as well as superior long-term stability under ambient conditions.

Improved thermal oxidation stability of solution-processable silver nanowire transparent electrode by reduced graphene oxide.

Solution-processable silver nanowire-reduced graphene oxide (AgNW-rGO) hybrid transparent electrode was prepared in order to replace conventional ITO transparent electrode. AgNW-rGO hybrid transparent electrode exhibited high optical transmittance and low sheet resistance, which is comparable to ITO transparent electrode. In addition, it was found that AgNW-rGO hybrid transparent electrode exhibited highly enhanced thermal oxidation and chemical stabilities due to excellent gas-barrier property of rGO passivation layer onto AgNW film. Furthermore, the organic solar cells with AgNW-rGO hybrid transparent electrode showed good photovoltaic behavior as much as solar cells with AgNW transparent electrode. It is expected that AgNW-rGO hybrid transparent electrode can be used as a key component in various optoelectronic application such as display panels, touch screen panels, and solar cells.