AgNWs-a-TiOx: a scalable wire bar coated core-shell nanocomposite as transparent thin film electrode for flexible electronics applications

Flexible electronic devices entail highly transparent and conducting electrodes with excellent adherent and mechanically robust properties along with excellent bendability. Here, we report the development of transparent and conducting electrodes comprising silver nanowires (AgNWs) and amorphous-titanium oxide (a-TiOx) nanocomposite thin films. The AgNWs and a-TiOx nanocomposite thin films were deposited by a wire bar coating process, a scalable and high throughput procedure. PXRD analysis confirmed the crystalline and amorphous nature for AgNWs and TiOx thin film, respectively. FE-SEM and HRTEM analyses revealed the core-shell nature of the composite where AgNWs and a-TiOx acted as core and shell, respectively. Even after three-layer coating of AgNWs-a-TiOx nanocomposite thin films, high transparency (similar to 77%) in the visible region (400-800 nm) and a sheet resistance of 23 Omega/sq were observed. Furthermore, tape peel off tests were conducted for AgNWs and AgNWs-a-TiOx nanocomposite, which displayed high adherence for the three-layer coated AgNWs-a-TiOx nanocomposite as compared with AgNWs alone. The formation of AgNWs-a-TiOx core-shell structure enhances the intra-particle binding and network formation of AgNWs. The preliminary studies highlight that the developed AgNWs-a-TiOx nanocomposite thin films have great potential as transparent electrodes for realizing scalable cost-effective flexible electronic devices.