Cambrios has developed a transparent conductor material based on silver nanowires which can be used to replace the ITO layer in organic photovoltaics (OPV) device and in organic light-emitting devices (OLED).

After being deposited from a liquid suspension by conventional coating or printing methods onto a transparent substrate, these nanowires form a transparent conducting network. The sheet resistance of the resulting film is determined by the density of the nanostructures and can thus be easily controlled during the coating process.

The elimination of the ITO layer also results in a reduced microcavity effect and thus has a positive impact on the optical performance for OLED lighting devices.

This paper will focus on the use of this material as an ITO replacement for OLED devices for lighting applications and for OPV devices. The performance of ITO-free OPV and OLED devices with a nanowire anode will be discussed. We also will present the optical performance data of OLED lighting devices which show the implications of a reduced microcavity effect. In addition, we will show lifetime data for these devices which demonstrate the viability of this technology.