Patterned silver nanowires using the gravure printing process for flexible applications

Gravure printing is a promising electronics printing technology for fabricating flexible-large area devices at high speeds. Ag nanowire (Ag NW)-based transparent conductive electrodes are excellent candidates for replacing indium thin oxide in flexible electronics and optical devices, which require the preparation of patterned structures. Here, the gravure printing processing parameters for applying Ag NW ink were investigated to produce large-area patterned transparent and uniform Ag NW lines on polyethylene terephthalate substrates. The ink transfer properties changed with the printing speed and pressure, as discussed, and these parameters modulated the electrical properties of the printed Ag NWs annealed at various temperatures. The importance of the rheological behavior of the ink, the printing speed, and the pressure was confirmed to understand the mechanism underlying Ag NW ink transfer. The printed line resistance for a 450 μm of line width dried at 90 °C was 32 mm^{- 1} with a 95% of transmittance and a 100 μm gap between the printed lines. The line width and spacing of the printed patterned Ag NWs may be controlled using the parameters examined here to optimize the application-specific device performance.