Reverse-Offset Printed Ultrathin Ag Mesh for Robust Conformal Transparent Electrodes for High-Performance Organic Photovoltaics.

ABSTRACT

Mechanically durable transparent electrodes are needed in flexible optoelectronic devices to realize their long-term stable functioning, for applications in various fields such as energy, healthcare, and soft robotics. Several promising transparent electrodes based on nanomaterials have been previously reported to replace the conventional and fragile indium-tin oxide (ITO); however, obtaining feasible printed transparent electrodes for ultraflexible devices with a multistack structure is still a great challenge. Here, a printed ultrathin (uniform thickness of 100 nm) Ag mesh transparent electrode is demonstrated, simultaneously achieving high conductance, high transparency, and good mechanical properties. It shows a 17 Ω sq-1 sheet resistance (Rsh ) with 93.2% transmittance, which surpasses the performance of sputtered ITO electrodes and other ultrathin Ag mesh transparent electrodes. The conductance is stable after 500 cycles of 100% stretch/release deformation, with an insignificant increase (10.6%) in Rsh by adopting a buckling structure. Furthermore, organic photovoltaics (OPVs) using our Ag mesh transparent electrodes achieve a power conversion efficiency of 8.3%, which is comparable to the performance of ITO-based OPVs.