Aerosol Jet Printing of Flexible Transparent Conductive Silver Nanowire Electrodes: Effects of Printing Cycles

In this work, flexible transparent conductive silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes were fabricated on polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrates using the aerosol jet printing (AJP) technique, providing a versatile and cost-effective alternative to conventional transparent conductive oxide (TCO) material production. Additionally, the impact of printing cycles on the transparency and surface resistivity of the electrodes was investigated. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrometry, optical microscopy, and four-point probe techniques were used to characterize the obtained AgNW electrodes. When the three-cycle printing process was applied, AgNW electrodes with sheet resistance of 30.96 Omega/sq and average transparency of 78% in the visible region were obtained. This means that the electrodes produced with both good properties and flexibility can be used in several optoelectronic and electrochemical applications.