Highly Transparent and Conductive Films of Densely Aligned Ultrathin Au Nanowire Monolayers

Ana Sánchez-Iglesias, Beatriz Rivas-Murias, Marek Grzelczak, Jorge Pérez-Juste, Luis M. Liz-Marzán, Francisco Rivadulla, and Miguel A. Correa-Duarte

Nano Lett. 2012, 12, 6066‒6070

The combination of low electrical resistance and high optical transparency in a single material is very uncommon. Developing these systems is a scientific challenge and a technological need, to replace ITO in flexible electronic components and other highly demanding applications. Here we report a facile method to prepare single layers of densely aligned ultrathin Au-nanowires, homogeneous over cm2 areas. The as-deposited films show an electrical/optical performance competitive with ITO and graphene-based electrodes. Moreover, the Au-films show a good stability under ambient conditions, and the large aspect ratio of the ultrathin nanowires makes them perfect for deposition in flexible substrates.