High optical transparent two-dimensional electronic conducting system and process for generating same

Abstract

Hybrid transparent conducting materials are disclosed with combine a polycrystalline film and conductive nanostructures, in which the polycrystalline film is “percolation doped” with the conductive nanostructures. The polycrystalline film preferably is a single atomic layer thickness of polycrystalline graphene, and conductive nanostructures preferably are silver nanowires.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hybrid transparent conducting material (TCM) comprising:
 a granular polycrystalline film and   a layer, on the granular polycrystalline film, comprising a plurality of randomly dispersed conductive nanostructures.   
     
     
         2 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 1 , wherein the granular polycrystalline film is an atomic monolayer. 
     
     
         3 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 1 , wherein the granular polycrystalline film is a polycrystalline graphene film. 
     
     
         4 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 1 , wherein the conductive nanostructures are metallic nanowires. 
     
     
         5 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 4 , wherein the metallic nanowires are silver nanowires. 
     
     
         6 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 1 , wherein each of the conductive nanostructures has a length greater than 1 μm and a cross-sectional dimension of less than 1 μm. 
     
     
         7 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 1 , wherein density of the plurality of conductive nanostructures randomly dispersed in the granular polycrystalline film is below a percolation threshold. 
     
     
         8 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 1 , wherein density of the plurality of conductive nanostructures randomly dispersed on the polycrystalline film is at most sixty percent of the percolation threshold. 
     
     
         9 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 1 , wherein average length of the conductive nanostructures is greater than average grain diameter in the granular polycrystalline film. 
     
     
         10 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 1 , wherein average distance between the conductive nanostructures is greater than average length of the conductive nanostructures. 
     
     
         11 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 1 , wherein the granular polycrystalline film and the nanowire layer separately each have a sheet resistance of 20 ohms per square or greater. 
     
     
         12 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 11 , wherein the hybrid TCM has a sheet resistance below twenty ohms per square. 
     
     
         13 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 12 , having a transmittance above ninety percent for solar radiation. 
     
     
         14 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 1 , wherein the number of conductive nanostructures is less than one half the number of grains in the granular polycrystalline film. 
     
     
         15 . The hybrid TCM of  claim 1 , wherein the number of conductive nanostructures is less than one fourth the number of grains in the granular polycrystalline film. 
     
     
         16 . A photovoltaic cell comprising a transparent electrode comprising polycrystalline graphene that is percolation doped with metallic nanowires, wherein the metallic nanowires do not form a percolation network for charge carriers across the transparent electrode. 
     
     
         17 . The photovoltaic cell of  claim 16 , wherein the transparent electrode comprises a plurality of stacked layers, each of the plurality of stacked layers comprising polycrystalline graphene that is percolation doped with metallic nanowires. 
     
     
         18 . The photovoltaic cell of  claim 16 , wherein the transparent electrode has a sheet resistance below twenty ohms per square and a transmittance above ninety percent for solar radiation. 
     
     
         19 . A liquid crystal display comprising a transparent electrode comprising polycrystalline graphene that is percolation doped with metallic nanowires.