Alireza Khosropour, Christophe Pradere, Luzhu Xu, Hadi Hosseinzadeh Khaligh, Michael A. Pope, Alexandra Madeira, Irene A. Goldthorpe, Mona Tréguer-Delapierre, Laurent Servant, M. Romano, Institute for Nanotechnology [Waterloo], University of Waterloo [Waterloo], Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering [Waterloo] (ECE), Department of Chemical Engineering [Waterloo], Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux (ICMCB), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Bordeaux (UB), Institut de Mécanique et d'Ingénierie de Bordeaux (I2M), École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers (ENSAM), Arts et Métiers Sciences et Technologies, HESAM Université (HESAM)-HESAM Université (HESAM)-Arts et Métiers Sciences et Technologies, HESAM Université (HESAM)-HESAM Université (HESAM)-Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Bordeaux (UB), Institut des Sciences Moléculaires (ISM), Université Montesquieu - Bordeaux 4-Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie et de Physique de Bordeaux (ENSCPB)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, the CNRS National Science Foundation under the grant « IMAG'IN » No. 58057., Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux-Université de Bordeaux (UB), HESAM Université (HESAM)-HESAM Université (HESAM)-Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie et de Physique de Bordeaux (ENSCPB)-Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Université Montesquieu - Bordeaux 4-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de Bordeaux (UB)-École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers (ENSAM), HESAM Université (HESAM)-HESAM Université (HESAM)-Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de biologie moléculaire des plantes (IBMP), Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre d'études scientifiques et techniques d'Aquitaine (CESTA), Direction des Applications Militaires (DAM), and Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)
International audience; Silver nanowire transparent electrodes have shown considerable potential to replace conventional transparent conductive materials. However, in this report we show that Joule heating is a unique and serious problem with these electrodes. When conducting current densities encountered in organic solar cells, the average surface temperature of indium tin oxide (ITO) and silver nanowire electrodes, both with sheet resistances of 60 ohms/square, remains below 35 °C. However, in contrast to ITO, the temperature in the nanowire electrode is very non-uniform, with some localized points reaching temperatures above 250 °C. These hotspots accelerate nanowire degradation, leading to electrode failure after 5 days of continuous current flow. We show that graphene, a commonly used passivation layer for these electrodes, slows nanowire degradation and creates a more uniform surface temperature under current flow. However, the graphene does not prevent Joule heating in the nanowires and local points of high temperature ultimately shift the failure mechanism from nanowire degradation to melting of the underlying plastic substrate. In this paper, surface temperature mapping, lifetime testing under current flow, post-mortem analysis, and modelling illuminate the behaviour and failure mechanisms of nanowires under extended current flow and provide guidelines for managing Joule heating.