Flexible transparent conductors made from networks of metallic nanowires are a potential replacement for conventional, non-flexible, and transparent conducting materials such as indium tin oxide. Cu nanowires are particularly interesting as cost-effective alternatives to Ag nanowires—the most investigated metallic nanowire to date. To optimize the conductivity of Cu nanowire networks, the resistance contributions from the material and nanowire junctions must be independently known. In this paper, we report the resistivity values (ρ) of individual solution-grown Cu nanowires ⟨ρ⟩ = 20.1 ± 1.3 nΩ m and the junction resistance (Rjxn) between two overlapping Cu nanowires ⟨Rjxn⟩ = 205.7 ± 57.7 Ω. These electrical data are incorporated into an electro-optical model that generates analogs for Cu nanowire networks, which accurately predict without the use of fitting factors the optical transmittance and sheet resistance of the transparent electrode. The model's predictions are validated using experimental data from the literature of Cu nanowire networks composed of a wide range of aspect ratios (nanowire length/diameter). The separation of the material resistance and the junction resistance allows the effectiveness of post-deposition processing methods to be evaluated, aiding research and industry groups in adopting a materials-by-design approach.

中文翻译：

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铜纳米线-纳米线结的电阻和铜纳米线网络的光电建模

由金属纳米线网络制成的柔性透明导体是传统、非柔性和透明导电材料（如氧化铟锡）的潜在替代品。铜纳米线作为银纳米线（迄今为止研究最多的金属纳米线）的具有成本效益的替代品特别令人感兴趣。为了优化铜纳米线网络的导电性，必须独立了解材料和纳米线结的电阻贡献。在本文中，我们报告了单个溶液生长的铜纳米线的电阻率值 (ρ) ⟨ρ⟩ = 20.1 ± 1.3 nΩ m 和两个重叠的铜纳米线之间的结电阻 (Rjxn) ⟨Rjxn⟩ = 205.7 ± 57.7 Ω。这些电数据被整合到一个电光模型中，该模型为铜纳米线网络生成类似物，无需使用拟合因子即可准确预测透明电极的光学透射率和薄层电阻。该模型的预测使用来自由各种纵横比（纳米线长度/直径）组成的 Cu 纳米线网络文献中的实验数据进行验证。材料电阻和结电阻的分离允许评估沉积后处理方法的有效性，帮助研究和工业团体采用按材料设计的方法。