Indium tin oxide (ITO) nano-branches for application in transparent flexible electrodes (TFEs) have been made by researchers in Korea.
The team used a simple beam evaporation method to make single crystal ITO nano-branches, which show better conductivity, better thermal stability and significantly better mechanical flexibility compared to commercial ITO film.
Transparent conducting oxides are very attractive materials for TFEs as they overcome limitations of alternatives such as metallic nanowires and carbon-based nanostructures, but their mechanical brittleness is a drawback. The nano-branched structure is much more flexible, and has an improved production process requiring lower temperatures and offering larger synthesis areas.
TFEs pervade modern technologies as critical components of many optoelectronic devices, e.g. solar cells, displays and lighting devices. The much-improved mechanical flexibility of this nano-branched structure implies potential for broad applicability in optoelectronic devices.
Read the Nanoscale article:
Nano-branched transparent conducting oxide: Beyond the brittleness limit for the flexible electrode applications
Hak Ki Yu, Sungjun Kim, Bonhyeong Koo, Gwan Ho Jung, Bola Lee, Juyoung Ham and Jong-Lam Lee
Nanoscale, 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR32228E
