Ultra-Highly Cross-Aligned AgNWs Network by a Facile Liquid-Bridge Assisted Couette-Flow Solution Process: Toward Mass-Producing High-Performance Flexible Transparent Electrodes

Cross-aligned silver nanowires (CA-AgNWs), a unique network widely used in flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs), have been well developed using various solution processes. However, these approaches suffer from limitations of both the large alignment deviation and solution waste, especially in large-area fabrication, which deteriorates the performance of FTEs. Herein, we developed a facile liquid-bridge assisted Couette-flow solution shearing approach, which enables aligning AgNWs into a highly ordered horizontal array over a large area (120 cm²). Particularly, the alignment deviation, evaluated by the statistic, full width at half-maximum, is rather small with a value of ca. 12.6, several times lower than those made by other solution processes. The fibrous liquid-bridge is responsible for transferring liquid steadily onto the substrate, during which process AgNWs are aligned roughly by the solution shearing. It is worth noting that the enhanced shearing force (SF) by Couette-flow allows for further alignment. Consequently, the ultra-highly CA-AgNWs network was prepared, leading to a high-performance FTE with high conductivity (7 Ω sq⁻¹), high transparency (93%), long lifetime (over 180 days), good adhesion-stability (200 times tape test), and good flexibility. Moreover, the strategy is applicable for mass-production, benefiting the practical applications of high-performance optoelectronic devices.