Researchers at Duke have demonstrated a new copper nanowire technology for making transparent flexible displays, solar panels and electronic circuitry.
These copper nanowires are also claimed to outperform carbon nanotubes and yet be cheaper than silver nanowire technology, enabling arrays of electronic circuits for display pixels, solar cells or processors, to be contained in a transparent layer that is printed on a flexible plastic substrate at room temperature.
The solution-based chemistry used to synthesize the copper nanowires allows for their self-assembly at specifically seeded sites, permitting their controlled growth into arrays that can be processed using high-volume roll-to-roll manufacturing processes that lower the cost of mass production compared with ITO today.
Next the researchers want solve several remaining problems, such as a tendency among the copper nanowires to clump together, thereby reducing their transparency. Also, a method for preventing oxidation, which decreases conductivity, will also be addressed in follow up studies at Duke.
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