Silver nanowire/nickel hydroxide nanosheet composite for a transparent electrode and all-solid-state supercapacitor

Abstract

Silver nanowire (Ag NW) based composites have shown a great potential not just in transparent electrodes but in diverse functional applications. The main challenge of Ag NW film is the large junction resistance originating from the weak NW contacts. In this paper, we report a simple method to combine ultrathin nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)₂) nanosheets (NSs) and Ag NWs as a composite for transparent electrode and all-solid-state supercapacitor applications. On the one hand, the Ni(OH)₂ NSs were simply coated on Ag NW film and the sheet resistance was decreased significantly without compromising the optical transmittance, owing to the improved junction contacts among NWs and the ultrathin nanostructure of Ni(OH)₂ NSs. The optimum Ag NW/Ni(OH)₂ NS composite showed not only an excellent optoelectronic performance (a sheet resistance of 18.56 Ω □⁻¹ and a transmittance of 90.26%) but also improved thermal stability. On the other hand, the Ag NW/Ni(OH)₂ NS composite was designed for all-solid-state flexible supercapacitors with a high specific capacitance, moderate cycle stability and good mechanical flexibility, indicating a promising application in flexible supercapacitors.