Preparation and characterization of electrospun silver nanowires/ZnO/PVP composite transparent conductive film

In this study, a silver nanowires (AgNWs)/nano-zinc oxide (ZnO)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) film is fabricated as an alternative to indium tin oxide transparent conductive films (TCFs). AgNWs are prepared by the polyol method with PVP as a dispersant to prevent Ag nanoparticles agglomeration during AgNWs formation. Nano-ZnO is synthesized using sol–gel method. AgNWs/ZnO/PVP TCFs are prepared using the electrostatic spinning and spin coating methods for comparison. It is found that the best PVP/AgNO₃ molar ratio is 3.5:1. FTIR and XRD analyses show that 500°C calcination leads to better crystallinity and purity of nano-ZnO. Four-point prober analysis indicates that the higher the AgNWs content, the lower the TCF sheet resistance. The best sheet resistance of AgNWs/ZnO/PVP TCF by the electrostatic spinning method is obtained as 81 $\mathrm{\Omega }$/sq, and the light transmittance is 85.3%. Moreover, in the 5-week stability test, the sheet resistance of the electrospun TCF increases by 6.17%, much lower than 24.9% of the spin coated TCF. It is verified that the elecrospun AgNWs/ZnO/PVP composite TCF is a promising alternative to the traditional ITO TCFs.