Carbon nanotube-silver nanowire composite networks on flexible substrates: High reliability and application for supercapacitor electrodes

Abstract

Highly transparent, flexible and conductive networks of carbon nanotubes-silver nanowire networks were formed on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates. The high temperature and humidity tests reveal that our CNT–AgNW composite networks maintain high durability and reliability in the electrical and optical properties under high temperature (85 °C) and relative humidity (85% R.H.). When bent and flexed over 1000 cycles; the films did not show significant degradation in sheet resistance compared to Ag films and ITOs on the same flexible substrates; demonstrating the superior mechanical stability of our CNT–AgNWs networks. The composite films on PET were employed for supercapacitor electrodes. The supercapacitors demonstrate a mass specific capacitance of 143 Fg−1 with a stable charge-discharge (3000 cycles) and low internal resistance (16 Ω). Furthermore; the supercapacitors showed high durability under harsh climatic conditions and mechanical bending. Our works indicate that the CNT–AgNWs could be promising transparent conductive electrodes for the applications in flexible optoelectronics and energy storage devices.