Effect of temperature on the oxidation of Cu nanowires and development of an easy to produce, oxidation-resistant transparent conducting electrode using a PEDOT:PSS coating

Oxidation can strongly influence the performance of Cu nanowires (CuNWs) by decreasing their conductivity. Here, we identify and investigate a way to prevent the oxidation process of CuNWs to maintain the high conducting performance of CuNWs as transparent electrodes. CuNWs were synthesised using an aqueous method. We prepared several temperature treatments (from 0–300 °C) to represent oxidation of CuNWs in different environments, to study the oxidation process and changes in morphology in detail. Depending on the temperature, smooth and uniform CuNWs exposed to oxidation produced rough Cu(2)O and CuO nanowires. We then suggest a method of protecting nanowires from oxidation, using the Mayer rod coating method to apply a layer of PEDOT:PSS to a transparent conducting film of CuNWs. The result indicates that this method of protection can protect the film, and maintain a stable, and constant resistance over of time, without effecting the excellent conductivity properties of pure CuNWs.