Study of the Electrical Properties and Characterization of a Metal‒Polymer Conductor Based on Silver-Containing Nanowires

The possibility of forming a conductive metal‒polymer composite based on an array of intersecting silver-containing nanowires has been demonstrated. It has been determined that the electrical and mechanical characteristics of the composites depend on both the deposition time and the anode-to-cathode area ratio. The mechanical characteristics of the synthesized metal‒polymer composites are better than those of polyethylene terephthalate polymer track membranes. With an increase in the anode-to-cathode area ratio and deposition time, one can observe a decrease in the electrical conductivity (0.0025 Ω^‒1 at 100 growth cycles and 0.0033 Ω^‒1 at 50 cycles), strength (90 MPa at 100 cycles and 99 MPa at 50 cycles), and modulus of elasticity (4.7 GPa at 100 cycles and 5.4 GPa at 50 cycles). Conductive silver-containing nanowires can be used as reinforcing structures of metal‒polymer composites with the high electrical conductivity, promising for use in flexible electronics elements.