Fabrication of the Silver Grids by Interfacial Interaction

Silver (Ag) grid is one of the most competitive alternatives for transparent conductors because of its optical transparency, high conductivity, and cost competitiveness. Although printing, self-assembly, and other combination strategies are widely adopted for the fabrication of Ag grids, the size/morphology accuracy adjustments and structural complexity design in micro/nanodimension are still challenges. Herein, adjustable Ag grid patterns at the micro/nanoscale are obtained by the combination of template printing and self-assembly method. The strategy generates air-filled uniform concave meniscus between silicon pillars helped by coating polymer solutions. The experimental results demonstrate that the concave meniscus' features strongly influence the stick-slip motion of the triple-phase contact line (TCL), which is the key factor for the construction of different Ag grid patterns, and the morphologies of the patterns affect the application of the Ag grid accordingly. By selection of the surface interaction, the proper Ag grids at the micro/nanoscale have good transmittance (85.3%) and low sheet resistance (7.6 omega sq(-1)) on the glass substrate, and Ag grids on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate have also been investigated which are important for its application in flexible transparent electronics.