In this case, an Ag NW approximately 30 nm in diameter was aligned across two gold electrodes that had been patterned on an insulating layer of silicon oxide. The current (I) was measured while different DC potentials (V) were applied to these gold Selleck SAR302503 electrodes. An electrical conductivity of approximately 0.3 × 105 S/cm was calculated from the linear I-V curve. Additionally,
the 2-D film structures consisting of the Ag NW networks (fabricated by the abovementioned process, as shown in Figure 5) exhibited a sheet resistance as low as 20 Ω/sq with a transmittance of 93% (the sheet resistance of the Ag NW films was measured using the four-probe method). These sheet resistance value and transparency STA-9090 nearly match the properties of ITO films. In particular, the optical properties (transmittance and haze) in the Ag NW network structure are directly related to the diameter size of the Ag NWs. The light transmittance difference of the as-cast Ag NW films with diameters of 30 ± 3 nm and 45 ± 5 nm is shown in Figure 6I. The 2-D Ag NW film formed by a network of wires of 30 ± 3 nm in diameter was at least 3% or more transparent than the film-containing wires of 45 ± 5 nm in diameter, when both films were tested under similar sheet resistance conditions (approximately
20 Ω/sq). Entinostat supplier Furthermore, the Ag NW film-containing wires of 30 ± 3 nm in diameter consistently exhibited a lower sheet
resistance than the film-containing wires that were 45 ± 5 nm in diameter with a similar transparency with respect to the film thickness or density, as shown in Figure 6II. In contrast, for the same sheet resistance value, the light transmittance of the Ag NW film of 30 ± 3 nm in diameter was at least 5% or more than that of the Ag NW film of 45 ± 3 nm in diameter. This difference of 5% transmittance is attributed to size effects. Overall, it is clear that the transmittance of the Ag NW film containing small-diameter NWs improved more than that of the film containing large-diameter NWs, due to the low intensity of scattered light. However, the 2-D Ag NW films formed else by a network of NWs with a diameter of 30 ± 3 nm were sufficiently transparent comparable to ITO. In Figure 6III, the difference of haze value between Ag NW films with diameters of 30 ± 3 nm and 45 ± 5 nm is shown as a function of sheet resistance. The haze value of the 30-nm-diameter wires was at least 1% or less than that of the 45-nm diameter wires, as shown in Figure 6III. In general, the haze value is known to be directly related to the size of the Ag NWs concerned with scattered light, which directly impacts their optical properties. Figure 6 Light transmittance spectra, changes of optical transmittance, and haze value.