Nanowire-based transparent conductors and applications thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021028321-A1
Application number	US-202016995055-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 17, 2020
Priority date	Oct 12, 2006
Publication date	Jan 28, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A transparent conductor including a conductive layer coated on a substrate is described. More specifically, the conductive layer comprises a network of nanowires that may be embedded in a matrix. The conductive layer is optically clear, patternable and is suitable as a transparent electrode in visual display devices such as touch screens, liquid crystal displays, plasma display panels and the like.

First claim

1 .- 81 . (canceled)

82 . A method for providing electromagnetic shielding, comprising:
providing a composite comprising a plurality of metallic nanowires and a matrix material; applying the composite to a substrate; and forming a conductive layer comprising the plurality of metallic nanowires dispersed in the matrix material, the conductive layer having a surface conductivity of no more than 10 8 Ω/square, wherein the conductive layer is configured to provide electromagnetic shielding.

83 . The method of claim 82 , wherein the conductive layer is optically clear.

84 . A transparent conductor, comprising:
a substrate; and a conductive layer comprising:
a first region comprising nanowires embedded in a matrix; and
a second region comprising treated nanowires embedded in the matrix, wherein:
the second region has a higher resistivity than the first region, and
the first region and the second region have substantially the same optical properties.

85 . The transparent conductor of claim 84 , wherein the nanowires of the first region are metal nanowires.

86 . The transparent conductor of claim 85 , wherein the treated nanowires of the second region comprise oxidized metal nanowires.

87 . The transparent conductor of claim 85 , wherein the treated nanowires of the second region comprise sulfided metal nanowires.

88 . The transparent conductor of claim 84 , wherein the treated nanowires of the second region are shorter than the nanowires of the first region.

89 . The transparent conductor of claim 84 , wherein the second region is more resistive than the first region by at least about 1500Ω/square.

90 . The transparent conductor of claim 84 , wherein the second region and the first region have substantially the same optical transmission and haze.

91 . A method of forming a patterned transparent conductor, comprising:
forming a conductive layer on a substrate, the conductive layer comprising a matrix and a network of electrically conductive nanowires embedded therein; and treating a first region of the conductive layer to convert the electrically conductive nanowires within the first region to less-conductive nanowires, wherein the first region has a first resistivity and a second region of the conductive layer that is not treated has a second resistivity.

92 . The method of claim 91 , wherein the conductive layer is optically clear.

93 . The method of claim 91 , wherein the region and the second region have substantially the same optical properties.

94 . The method of claim 93 , wherein the optical properties comprise optical transmission and haze.

95 . The method of claim 91 , wherein the first resistivity the first region is higher than the second resistivity of the second region by at least about 1500Ω/square.

96 . The method of claim 91 , wherein treating the first region of the conductive layer comprises chemically transforming the electrically conductive nanowires within in the first region to electrically insulating nanowires.

97 . The method of claim 96 , wherein treating the first region of the conductive layer comprises oxidizing or sulfiding the electrically conductive nanowires within in the first region.

98 . The method of claim 91 , wherein treating the first region of the conductive layer comprises physically shortening electrically conductive nanowires within in the first region.

99 . The method of claim 91 , wherein:
an optical transmission of the first region differs from an optical transmission of the second region by less than 0.7%, and a haze of the first region differs from a haze of the second region by less than 0.62%.

100 . The method of claim 99 , wherein the first resistivity of the first region is higher than the second resistivity of the second region by at least about 1500Ω/square.

101 . The method of claim 82 , wherein forming the conductive layer comprises at least partially drying the composite after applying the composite to the substrate.

Assignees

• Cambrios Film Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Allemand Pierre-Marc
• Dai Haixia
• Na Shuo
• Pakbaz Hash
• Pschenitzka Florian
• Quan Xina
• Sepa Jelena
• Spaid Michael A

Classifications

• H10K30/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] devices · CPC title

• H10F77/211

  for photovoltaic cells · CPC title

• H10F71/138

  Manufacture of transparent electrodes, e.g. transparent conductive oxides [TCO] or indium tin oxide [ITO] electrodes · CPC title

• H10F77/244

  made of transparent conductive layers, e.g. transparent conductive oxide [TCO] layers · CPC title

• H10D62/119

  Nanowire, nanosheet or nanotube semiconductor bodies · CPC title