Flexible transparent conductive films based on metal mesh technology
Cui Z.
© 2014 . Society for Information Display. All rights reserved. A new technique for making flexible transparent conductive substrates based on metal mesh structures is presented. The metal mesh structures are made by embedding silver nanoparticles inks into imprinted grooves on a flexible transparent substrate. Compared to other nanositver type or metal mesh type of transparent conductive films, the new technology can provide a substrate with independently adjustable sheet resistance and transparency. While maintaining the same transparency, the sheet resistance is only a fraction of ITO coated substrate. More importantly, the electrode patterns can be roll-to-roll manufactured, which offers significant cost advantage over ITO substrates due to the simplified manufacturing process. The new technology has been successfully implemented in high volume manufacturing of touch panel sensors for displays, as well as adapted to making flexible organic solar cells and flexible OLED.