D.J. Arthur, R. Prada Silvy
CHASM Advanced Materials, Inc.,
United States
Keywords: transparent conductive films, carbon nanotubes, silver nanowires, printed electronics, flexible electronics, hybrids
Summary:
Transparent Conductive Films (TCFs) are used in a wide range of commercial applications, including information displays, capacitive touch sensors, solar photovoltaic modules, EMI shielding windows, transparent heaters, etc. There are many materials that are transparent and many materials that are electrically conductive, but there are very few materials that are both. Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) has dominated the TCF materials market for the past four decades, because of its excellent optoelectronic performance (high transparency, low sheet resistance, low haze, excellent environmental stability). ITO is typically vacuum coated onto glass sheets or flexible plastic film substrates, with circuit patterns formed by laser ablation or chemical etching methods. It is important to note that ITO has well-known shortcomings on flexible plastic films. First, ITO is a brittle ceramic, so it can easily crack when flexed. This is a major limitation, as many product designs are moving towards thinner, flexible and 3D-shaped form factors. Second, ITO’s optoelectronic properties are much better on glass, due to the temperature limitations of plastic. This is a major limitation, as nearly all product designs work better with lower sheet resistance. Third, circuit patterning of ITO on flexible plastic films is expensive, due to handling damage (cracking of circuit features). This is a major limitation, as many product designs are moving towards thinner and larger area substrates, which are even more difficult to handle. Thus, there is an unmet market need for an ITO Alternative that addresses the shortcomings of ITO on flexible plastic films. Several TCF material categories have been established, but there has been limited commercial traction… CHASM has recently created a new TCF category called Printed CNT Hybrids, which are made by combining CNTs with either Silver Nanowire (AgNW) or Metal Mesh (MM) technologies to create a Hybrid solution that is superior to CNT, AgNW or MM technologies alone. CHASM is marketing its portfolio of Printed CNT Hybrids under the AgeNT™ brand. This presentation describes how CHASM combines its distinguished CNT synthesis capabilities (CoMoCAT™ technology) with proprietary ink formulation capabilities (V2V™ technology) to create AgeNT™ printed CNT Hybrid TCFs that are positioned to become a leading ITO Alternative.