Blue Laser Annealing of Ag Nanowire Electrodes for Flexible Thin Film Heaters

A blue laser annealing process was investigated to improve the connectivity of slot die-coated Ag nanowire (NW) network electrodes intended for use in flexible and transparent thin film heaters (TFHs). The electrical, optical, and morphological properties of blue-laser-irradiated Ag NW network electrodes were investigated as functions of the scanning speed apllied during annealing. Due to effective welding of Ag NWs that were formerly under only physical contact, and due to complete removal of the polyvinylpyrrolidone on the surface of each Ag NW, the blue laser annealing yielded Ag NW networks that exhibited decreased sheet resistance with no change of optical transmittance. Because the laser annealing decreased the Ag NW network's sheet resistance, the TFH based on the blue-laser-irradiated Ag NW electrodes showed higher saturation temperature at lower input DC voltage compared to the control device. (c) 2017 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.