Flexible and transparent
conductive electrodes are fundamental
components used in advanced optical and electronic devices and organic
electronics. In this work, we demonstrated a method for fabricating
transparent conductive electrodes of Au nanosheets using UV irradiation
on Au nanoparticle (AuNP) monolayer on water. The adsorbed AuNP monolayer
was formed from the electrostatic attractive force between the anionic
capping molecules on AuNPs dispersed in water with a cationic insoluble
surfactant monolayer on water. UV irradiation promoted the decomposition
of the surfactant deposited on the AuNPs, thereby transforming the
AuNPs into mesh-like nanosheets that served as flexible and transparent
conducting electrodes. The AuNP dispersions were also proven to be
reusable in preparing conductive Au nanosheets for transparent flexible
electrodes.