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A simple wet chemical approach was developed for a unique on-surface synthesis of transparent conductive films consisting of ultrathin gold/silver nanowires directly grown on top of CdSe nanowire array photoconductive devices enclosed in polycarbonate membranes. The metal nanowire film formed an ohmic contact to the semiconductor nanowires without additional treatment. The sheet resistance and transparency of the metal nanowire arrays could be controlled by the number of metal nanowire layers deposited, ranging from ∼98–99% transmission through the visible range and several kOhm/sq sheet resistance for a single layer, to 80–85% transmission and ∼100 Ohm/sq sheet resistance for 4 layers.

The next generation of optoelectronic devices requires transparent conductive electrodes to be flexible, cheap, and compatible with large scale manufacturing processes. Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) electrodes are often used due to their superior transparency and conductance, however they are brittle, expensive and their fabrication requires vacuum conditions which restrict scale-up. One possible alternative to the traditional ITO electrode is the metal nanowire mesh (MNWM) electrode, which is transparent, conductive, flexible and easy to produce. In this work we present the preparation and characterization of a simple organic light emitting diode (OLED) device based on a transparent electrode made of ultrathin MNWM and a comparison to an ITO based device. We have found that MNWM electrodes offer a suitable alternative to ITO electrodes in OLED devices. We have also found that the failure rate for devices due to short circuits between the top and bottom electrodes was smaller in MNWM based devices compared to ITO based devices since the MNWM devices could be repaired to present normal OLED behavior by selectively burning the nanowires forming the short. The ability to “heal” organic devices presents an important advantage and also allows for future uses in applications such as roll to roll printing.