Plasma in Situ Reduction of GO: Used to Improve the Atmospheric Corrosion Stability of Ag Mesh Flexible Transparent Conductive Electrodes

Ag mesh flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) are emerging as candidates for In2O3 (ITO) due to their excellent optoelectronic properties and bending stability. However, exposure of Ag meshes to the atmospheric environment can easily cause atmospheric corrosion, leading to a rapid decrease in conductivity. Here, the atmospheric corrosion mechanism of Ag mesh was investigated and the method that encapsulating Ag meshes with spin-coated graphene oxide (GO) to isolate the atmosphere and improve their atmospheric corrosion stability was proposed. Furthermore, GO thin films can be reduced through atmospheric plasma treatment to further improve the electrical properties of the composite thin layer without affecting the encapsulation. The GO/Ag mesh composite film treated with plasma exhibits a transmittance of 75% (550 nm) and over 80% transmittance in the wavelength range above 600 nm, with a sheet resistance of 17.1 Ω/sq. Additionally, the PGO/Ag mesh displays excellent atmospheric corrosion stability, indicated by the fact that the resistance is almost unchanged after 150 days.