Electrically stable Ag nanowire network anodes densely passivated by a conductive amorphous InSnTiO layer for flexible organic photovoltaics

An electrically stable Ag nanowire (Ag NW) network was fabricated by passivating with a conductive amorphous InSnTiO (ISTO) layer. It could be used in flexible transparent conductive electrodes for flexible organic photovoltaics. By plasma damage-free sputtering of amorphous ISTO on Ag NWs, sulfurization of Ag NWs was effectively prevented without sacrificing sheet resistance (44.5 ω/sq.), optical transmittance (87.2%), or mechanical flexibility. Flexible organic solar cells (OSCs) fabricated on ISTO covered Ag NW network anodes showed slightly higher power conversion efficiency (5.94%) than reference OSCs with ITO anodes (5.79%). These results demonstrate that passivation of Ag NWs by amorphous conductive ISTO is a useful approach to improving the reliability of Ag NW network electrodes for high-performance flexible OSCs because the amorphous compact structure can effectively prevent the diffusion of sulfur from ambient air.