A team of researchers created a new type of transparent electrode. The main idea behind it was to enhance the touch screen experience as well as to enhance display quality. They used 3D printing technology to create it. Dimos Poulikakos, a professor of thermodynamics at ETH University, in Zurich, Switzerland, with the help of his team of researchers created a transparent electrode. This electrode takes form of a grid that is made up of gold or silver “nanowall” on a glass surface.
The walls or the electrodes can’t be seen by naked eyes. These electrodes have high conductivity and are more transparent as compared to electrodes made of indium tin oxide. Indium tin oxide is the standard material that is usually used in smart phones and tablets. It provides better touchscreen precision and improved screen quality. As per Patrik Rohner who is a PhD student in Poulikakos’ team, it has a high degree of transparency. A detailed research has been done on production of thin layers. But, according to Rohner, it is only moderately conductive.
The team opted for gold and silver in order to produce more conductive electrodes as they conduct electricity much better. The scientists used the third dimension as these materials were not transparent. There is a conflict of objectives if both high conductivity and transparency are desired in the wires made from these metals. The cross-sectional area of gold and silver wires is directly proportional to the conductivity. Hence it increases with the increase in cross-sectional area. While transparency is inversely proportional i.e. it decreases with increase in cross-sectional area.
The metal walls used were only 80 to 500 nanometres thick. The height is two to four times than the width leading to an increased cross-sectional area and high conductivity. In order to produce thin walls Nanodrip, a printing process, which uses inks made from metal nanoparticles in a solvent, was used.