MATERIALS TODAY COMMUNICATIONS, cilt.26, 2021 (SCI-Expanded)
Transparent conductive hybrid thin films based on silver nanowires (AgNW), zinc oxide (ZnO) and graphene were prepared using solution processing methods. For this study, the hexagonal (wurtzite) ZnO particles with a flower-like structure were synthesized by sol-gel reaction using zinc acetate dihydrate as a precursor at room temperature and pH value of 10. Ethanol dispersions of ZnO and commercial AgNW were deposited by spincoating method on glass substrates with fixed parameters to obtain AgNW-ZnO and ZnO-AgNW films, then their surfaces were covered with monolayer graphene flakes (MGFs) using a double self-assembly (DSA) process. The hybrid ZnO-AgNW-MGFs and AgNW-ZnO-MGFs films were characterized by XRD, SEM, UV?vis, four-point probe conductivity measurement, thermal (85 degrees C for 120 h) and long-term (ambient condition for 120 days) stability analyzes. The transmittances of AgNW-ZnO and ZnO-AgNW films were identical at 550 nm (80 %) and their sheet resistances (R-s) values were measured as 20.6 and 21.6 Omega/sq, respectively. After the MGFs deposition, the transmittances of hybrid films reduced to 72.5 and 76.8 %, while their R-s values decreased to 17.6 and 21.4 Omega/sq, respectively. Graphene flakes coating both enhanced the conductivity of hybrid films by improving the connection between silver nanowires and increased the thermal and long-term ambient stability of the films due to its barrier property against oxidation of silver nanowires.