Facile preparation of highly electrically conductive films of silver nanoparticles finely dispersed in polyisobutylene-b-poly(oxyethylene)-b-polyisobutylene triblock copolymers and graphene oxide hybrid surfactants

Abstract

We report the development of a facile method for the preparation of highly electrically conductive silver nanoparticle (AgNP) films finely dispersed in novel organic/inorganic nanohybrid surfactants consisting of an amphiphilic polymeric dispersant and graphene oxide. The production of AgNPs with a narrow size distribution and a 20 nm diameter was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, a hybrid film exhibiting a low sheet resistance of 5.2 × 10⁻² Ω sq⁻¹ was prepared by controlling the heat treatment of the AgNP samples. The resulting highly electrically conductive films have great potential for application in electrically conducting devices.