Aerosol Jet Printing of Flexible Transparent Conductive Silver Nanowire Electrodes: Effects of Printing Cycles

In this work, flexible transparent conductive silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes were fabricated on polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrates using the aerosol jet printing (AJP) technique, providing a versatile and cost-effective alternative to conventional transparent conductive oxide (TCO) material production. Additionally, the impact of printing cycles on the transparency and surface resistivity of the electrodes was investigated. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrometry, optical microscopy, and four-point probe techniques were used to characterize the obtained AgNW electrodes. When the three-cycle printing process was applied, AgNW electrodes with sheet resistance of 30.96 Ω/sq and average transparency of 78% in the visible region were obtained. This means that the electrodes produced with both good properties and flexibility can be used in several optoelectronic and electrochemical applications.