Efficient assembly of high-performance reduced graphene oxide/silver nanowire transparent conductive film based on in situ light-induced reduction technology

Abstract Silver nanowires (AgNWs) show great potential in the fabrication of high-flexible transparent conductive films (TCFs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has been considered as one of the most promising overcoating materials for improving the long-term stability of AgNW TCFs. However, transmittance, conductivity, and flexibility of AgNW TCFs are often compromised during the assembly of rGO film. Herein, a highly efficient process of preparing a high-performance and highly stable AgNW TCF is proposed. Firstly, a water-based, self-assembled coating method is used to achieve GO/AgNW TCFs. Then, the light absorption property of AgNWs is utilized to assist the reduction of the graphene oxide (GO) layer through the use of a microsecond intense pulsed light (IPL) irradiation treatment, resulting in a high-performance rGO/AgNW TCF. The instantaneous high-temperature rising from AgNWs provides additional and abundant thermal energy during the irradiation to reduce the ultra-thin GO film without damage to the nanostructure of the GO layer or to the AgNW TCFs itself. The achieved rGO/AgNW TCFs have a low sheet resistance to 8 Ω/sq and a high transmittance of 86.2% owing to the in-situ reduction of rGO film from thin GO film and welding between the AgNWs. In addition, this technique presents a robust enhancement of AgNW TCFs, not only with regard to their electrical stability in high-temperature and high-humidity atmospheres but also to their overall mechanical stability, which significantly enhances the application prospects of AgNW TCFs for use in flexible optoelectronic devices.