Optimization of SnO2/Ag nanowire transparent hybrid electrodes for optoelectronic applications

Silver nanowire (Ag NW) networks are gaining more interest as promising candidates for the substitution of indium tin oxide (ITO) for top electrodes in optoelectronic devices. In this work we investigated the electrical, optical, structural, and morphological properties of SnO2 /Ag NW hybrid film deposited by spray pyrolysis root. We showed that annealing at appropriate temperature improves optoelectronic and morphological properties of the SnO2 /AgNWs electrodes; the optimal annealing temperature was 180 °C for 20 min. These annealing conditions allow better homogenization of the nanowires and their welding at the intersection nodes ensuring conduction of the charge carriers along the conductive grid formed of nanowires. The optimized SnO2 /AgNWs electrodes have a large optical window covering the near-UV, Vis and IR range, with an average transparency of 85% and a sheet resistance of 6.1 Ω/sq. These optoelectronic performances have led to a merit factor of 2.5 × 10−2 Ω−1 being a competitive performance among the currently developed electrodes that can be promising candidates for applications as a transparent electrodes in optoelectronic devices.