Fabrication of large area, high-performance, transparent conducting electrodes using a spontaneously formed crackle network as template

A single micro/nanowire network of a metal deposited over a large area on a transparent substrate serves as a transparent conducting electrode with optoelectronic properties that are enhanced in many ways relative to the conventional indium tin oxide films. The wire surface is extremely smooth and the junctions are seamless, thanks to the crackle lithography process. The method is applicable to various metals and hybrid materials as well as to flexible and curved substrates