Flexible and transparent silver-grid over-coated with PEDOT:PSS electrode prepared by gravure offset printing

Invisible Ag-grid transparent electrodes with a variety of spacing between the Ag-grid lines of 100, 150, 200, 300, 500 and 1000 μm at a constant line width of the Ag-grid of 5 μm and a constant thickness of the Ag-grid of 0.6 μm have been prepared by a conventional gravure offset printing using our newly developed Ag nanoparticle ink. In optimizing the Ag-grid electrodes, the transmittance is up to 98% in the visible light region and the sheet resistance is down to 3 Ω/□ Moreover, the Ag-grid electrodes have been over-coated with a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) layer. In the Ag-grid over-coated with PEDOT:PSS electrodes, the transmittance is up to 96% in the visible light region and the sheet resistance is down to 4 Ω/□ The Ag-grid over-coated with PEDOT:PSS electrodes would have potential applications as flexible and transparent conductive films in optoelectronics and photovoltaics.