Thin-film optoelectronics are an important class of devices for lighting, sensing and energy harvesting. We work with important classes of materials such as metal nanowires, organic semiconductors, colloidal quantum dots and perovskites to advance the understanding and performance of devices.
Designing and Processing a Stable Metal Nanowire Network-based Transparent Conductor
Metal nanowire (MNW)-based transparent electrode technologies have significantly matured over the last decade to become a prominent low-cost alternative to indium tin oxide (ITO). Beyond reaching the same level of performance as ITO, MNW networks offer additional advantages including flexibility and low materials cost. To facilitate adoption of MNW networks as a replacement to ITO, they must overcome their inherent stability issues while maintaining their properties and cost-effectiveness. In our group, we focus on both modeling and experimental efforts in order to overcome the fundamental failure mechanisms of MNW networks. Experimental efforts focus on the optoelectronic characterization and development of processes to improve the stability of MNW networks via encapsulation. Collboration is ongoing to demonstrate the applicability of our transparent electrodes in solar cells, transparent film heaters, sensors, and displays.
[1] JJ Patil, WH Chae, A Trebach, KJ Carter, E Lee, T Sannicolo, J.C. Grossman, Failing forward: Stability of transparent electrodes based on metal nanowire networks. Advanced Materials 33 (5), 2004356
[2] WH Chae, T Sannicolo, JC Grossman, Double-Sided Graphene Oxide Encapsulated Silver Nanowire Transparent Electrode with Improved Chemical and Electrical Stability.ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 12 (15), 17909-17920
[3] T Sannicolo, WH Chae, J Mwaura, V Bulović, JC Grossman, Silver Nanowire Back Electrode Stabilized with Graphene Oxide Encapsulation for Inverted Semitransparent Organic Solar Cells with Longer Lifetime. ACS Applied Energy Materials 4 (2), 1431-1441