Thermal Response of Transparent Silver Nanowire/PEDOT:PSS Film Heaters

Thermal response behavior of transparent silver nanowire/PEDOT:PSS film heaters are intensively studied for manipulating heating temperature, response time, and power consumption. Influences of substrate heat capacity, heat transfer coefficient between air and heater, sheet resistance and dimension of Ag nanowire film, on the thermal response are investigated from thermodynamic analysis. Suggestion is given for practical applications that if other parameters are fixed, Ag nanowire coverage can be utilized as an effective parameter to adjust the thermal response. The heat transfer coefficient plays opposite roles on thermal response speed and achievable steady temperature. A value of ≈32 W m−2 K−1 is obtained from transient process analysis after correcting it by considering heater resistance variation during heating tests. Guidance of designing heaters with a given response time is provided by forming Ag nanowire film with a suitable sheet resistance on substrate of appropriate material and a certain thickness. Thermal response tests of designed Ag heaters are performed to show higher heating temperature, shorter response time, and lower power consumption (179 °C cm2 W−1) than ITO/FTO heaters, as well as homogeneous temperature distribution and stability for repeated use. Potential applications of the Ag heaters in window defogging, sensing and thermochromism are manifested. Thermal response behavior of transparent Ag nanowire/PEDOT:PSS film heaters with uniform temperature distribution are investigated from thermodynamic analysis, and influencing factors, such as substrate heat capacity, heat transfer coefficient between air and heater, sheet resistance, and dimension of the film, on the thermal properties including heating temperature, response time, and power consumption are intensively studied for practical applications.