Facile fabrication of transparent and conductive nanowire networks by wet chemical etching with an electrospun nanofiber mask template

Two-dimensional aluminum (Al) nanowire (NW) networks offering transparent conductors were fabricated by simple wet etching of Al metalized polymer film using a polystyrene (PS) nanofiber (NF) mask template. NW networks—500nm in width, 50nm in thickness, and with an area fraction of 22.0%—was prepared by electrospinning PS with 283nm in diameter on a metalized film, bonding the NF to the film by annealing at 200°C, etching unmasked Al and then dissolving the PS mask. The NW width and the area fraction of Al NW network can be controlled readily by the NF diameter and the deposition time of PS NF mask, respectively. The NW networks thus prepared are flexible and exhibit 80% optical transmittance and sheet resistance of 45Ωsq−1, indicating that they can be an indium-tin oxide (ITO) replacement.