ITO-free highly bendable and efficient organic solar cells with Ag nanomesh/ZnO hybrid electrodes

Abstract

We demonstrate a facile approach to fabricate Ag nanomesh transparent conducting electrodes (TCEs) on a flexible substrate using nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and transfer printing without a conducting polymer. The Ag nanomesh TCEs exhibited a high transmittance of ∼88% and a low sheet resistance of ∼15 Ω sq⁻¹ as well as superior mechanical flexibility. Furthermore, flexible inverted organic solar cells (IOSCs) with Ag nanomesh TCEs exhibited a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ∼7.15% under 100 mW cm⁻² AM 1.5G illumination as well as superior long-term stability under ambient conditions. This type of highly flexible and transparent Ag nanomesh electrode is a promising candidate for use with TCEs in various optoelectronic devices.