Fabrication of Highly Transparent and Flexible NanoMesh Electrode via Self-assembly of Ultrathin Gold Nanowires

Transparent electrodes simultaneously require high electrical conductivity and high optical transparency, which have been achieved with mesh metal structures. However, most currently fabricated micro- and nanoelectronic devices are produced via top-down lithography methods. Here, a bottom-up self-assembly approach to fabricate mesh electrode using ultrathin gold nanowires (AuNWs) at the air/water interface is reported. Slow partial ligand removal during the aging process is the key for the formation of such self-assembled mesh structures. The resulting mesh film has a typical mesh pore size of 8-52 m, with a sheet resistance of approximate to 40 times smaller than our previously reported nonmeshed AuNWs electrodes under similar optical transmittance. Our self-assembled mesh electrodes are mechanically flexible, easily transferrable to a variety of substrates, and also patternable by marker pen lithography or cutting machine lithography, and washable, and can be directly used for touch screen and flexible interconnects for light-emitting devices. The entire fabrication process is under ambient conditions without the need for any special equipment. These attributes indicate the potential applications of self-assembled gold mesh electrodes in flexible solar cells, touch screen displays, and wearable electronics.