Self-Assembly of Silver Nanowire Ring Structures Driven by the Compressive Force of a Liquid Droplet.

In a nanowire dispersed in liquid droplets, the interplay between the surface tension of the liquid and the elasticity of the nanowire determines the final morphology of the bent or buckled nanowire. Here, we investigate the fabrication of a silver nanowire ring generated as the nanowire encapsulated inside of fine droplets. We used a hybrid aerodynamic and electrostatic atomization method to ensure the generation of droplets with scalable size in the necessary regime for ring formation.

Spontaneous self-welding of silver nanowire networks.

As an alternative to the traditional indium tin oxide transparent electrode, solution-processed metal nanowire thin film has been a promising candidate due to its flexibility. However, high contact resistance between the nanowires remains a major challenge to improve the performance. Here, we have investigated a one-step process of coating and welding of nanowires on flexible film.