Enhanced transparency of ultrathin Ag films through wetting layer of phosphomolybdic acid

•Phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) mitigates formation of smooth Ag films.•PMA/Ag bilayer exhibits improved conductivity and transmittance.•Additional top PMA layer enhances PMA/Ag transparency.•PMA coating provides the long-term stability of Ag film. Phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) was exploited as a cost-efficient material in combined spin-coating/sputtering deposition of PMA/Ag transparent conductive electrode for optoelectronic applications. Sputtering of Ag on glass results in the grainy films which are characterized by low transmittance and poor conductivity. It is demonstrated that the wetting layer composed of spin-coated PMA provides perfect conditions for the formation of ultrathin (7–10 nm) and smooth (root-mean-square