Although printed networks of semiconducting nanosheets have found success in a range of applications, conductive nanosheet networks are limited by low conductivities (<106 S m−1). Here, dispersions of silver nanosheets (AgNS) that can be printed into highly conductive networks are described. Using a commercial thermal inkjet printer, AgNS patterns with unannealed conductivities of up to (6.0 ± 1.1) × 106 S m−1 are printed. These networks can form electromagnetic interference shields with record shielding effectiveness of >60 dB in the microwave region at thicknesses <200 nm. High resolution patterns with line widths down to 10 µm are also printed using an aerosol‐jet printer which, when annealed at 200 °C, display conductivity >107 S m−1. Unlike conventional Ag‐nanoparticle inks, the 2D geometry of AgNS yields smooth, short‐free interfaces between electrode and active layer when used as the top electrode in vertical nanosheet heterostructures. This shows that all‐printed vertical heterostructures of AgNS/WS2/AgNS, where the top electrode is a mesh grid, function as photodetectors demonstrating that such structures can be used in optoelectronic applications that usually require transparent conductors.
Transparent conductors (TCs) represent key components in many applications from optoelectronic devices to electromagnetic shielding. While commercial applications typically use thin films of indium tin oxide, this material is brittle and increasingly scarce, meaning higher performing and cheaper alternatives are sought after. Solution-processible metals would be ideal owing to their high conductivities and printability. However, due to their opacity to visible light, such films need to be very thin to achieve transparency, thus limiting the minimum resistance achievable. One solution is to print metallic particles in a grid structure, which has the advantages of high tunable transparency and resistance at the cost of uniformity. Here, we report silver nanosheets that have been aerosol jet printed into grids as high-performance transparent conductors. We first investigate the effect of annealing on the silver nanosheets where we observe the onset of junction sintering at 160 °C after which the silver network becomes continuous. We then investigate the effect of line width and thickness on the electrical performance and the effect of varying the aperture dimensions on the optical performance. Using these data, we develop simple models, which allow us to optimize the grid and demonstrate a printed transparent conductor with a transmittance of 91% at a sheet resistance of 4.6 Ω/sq.
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