CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL

• US 20130081678A1
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Katsuyuki Naito, Norihiro Yoshinaga, Shigeru Matake, Yoshihiko Nakano, Yoshihiro Akasaka
• Inventors: NAITO, Katsuyuki, YOSHINAGA, Norihiro, NAKANO, Yoshihiko, AKASAKA, Yoshihiro, MATAKE, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 9,159,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/252
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/26 Deposition of carbon only
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/02 mainly consisting of metals or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/04 mainly consisting of carbon-silicon compounds, carbon or silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/1606 Graphene
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/413 Nanosized electrodes, e.g. nanowire electrodes comprising one or a plurality of nanowires nanosized carbon materials, e.g. carbon nanotubes, per se C01B32/15; transparent electrodes comprising carbon nano-tubes H10K30/821, nanotechnology per se B82B
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022425 for solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022466 made of transparent conductive layers, e.g. TCO, ITO layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/256 Heavy metal or aluminum or compound thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/26 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component, the element or component having a specified physical dimension
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/266 of base or substrate

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a conductive material includes a carbon substance and a metallic substance mixed with and/or laminated to the carbon substance. The carbon substance has at least one dimension of 200 nm or less. The carbon substance includes a graphene selected from single-layered graphene and multi-layered graphene, a part of carbon atoms constituting the graphene is substituted with a nitrogen atom. The metallic substance includes at least one of a metallic particle and a metallic wire.

Claims

1. A conductive material comprising:

a carbon substance having at least one dimension of 200 nm or less, the carbon substance comprising a graphene selected from a single-layered graphene and a multi-layered graphene, a part of carbon atoms constituting the graphene being substituted with a nitrogen atom; and

a metallic substance mixed with and/or laminated to the carbon substance, the metallic substance comprising at least one of a metallic particle and a metallic wire.

2. The conductive material according to claim 1, the transmittance of the conductive materials at 550 nm wavelength is 60% or more.

3. The conductive material according to claim 1, wherein the metallic substance comprises the metal particle having at least one dimension of 200 nm or less.

4. The conductive material according to claim 1, wherein the metallic substance comprises the metal wire having at least one dimension of 200 nm or less.

5. The conductive material according to claim 1, wherein the carbon substance has an atomic ratio of nitrogen to carbon (N/C) of from 1/5 to 1/1000.

6. The conductive material according to claim 1, wherein I_401.2 representing an intensity at 401.2 eV is higher than I_398.5 representing an intensity at 398.5 eV in X-ray photoelectron spectrum with a 1 s electron of the nitrogen atom.

7. The conductive material according to claim 1, further comprising an electron injection material mixed and/or laminated with the conductive material.

8. The conductive material according to claim 7, wherein the electron injection material has electron injection performance and is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal salt, alkaline earth metal salt, an n-type oxide semiconductor, an oligomer having a π

electron system substituted with an electron withdrawing group, and a polymer having a π

electron system substituted with an electron withdrawing group.

9. The conductive material according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of I_O1s/I_C1s is 1/10 or less, where I_O1s is a peak intensity at 530 eV of oxygen atoms and I_C1s is a peak intensity of C1s at 285 eV of carbon atoms in X-ray photoelectron spectrum.

10. The conductive material according to claim 1, wherein the carbon substance has a thickness of 100 nm or less.

11. The conductive material according to claim 1, wherein the metallic substance is selected from Ag, Al, Cu, Au, W, Mo, and an alloy thereof.

12. A conductive material which is transparent comprising:

a carbon substance having a graphene selected from a single-layered graphene and a multi-layered graphene, and a part of carbon atoms constituting the graphene being substituted with a nitrogen atom; and

a metallic substance laminated to the carbon substance, the metallic substance comprising a metallic wire of which diameter is 200 nm or less.

13. An electric device comprising:

a pair of electrodes; and

a functional layer sandwiched between the electrodes,

one of the pair of electrodes being a transparent electrode made from a conductive material comprising a carbon substance and a metallic substance mixed with and/or laminated to the carbon substance, the carbon substance having at least one dimension of 200 nm or less and comprising a graphene selected from single-layered and multi-layered graphenes, a part of carbon atoms in the graphene being substituted with a nitrogen atom, the metallic substance comprising at least one of a metallic particle and a metallic wire.

14. An electric device cording to claim 13, wherein the metallic substance comprises the metal particle having at least one dimension of 200 nm or less.

15. An electric device cording to claim 13, wherein the metallic substance comprises the metal wire having at least one dimension of 200 nm or less.

16. The electric device according to claim 13, wherein the functional layer generates photovoltaic power and the transparent electrode is positioned at a light incidence side receiving light.

17. The electric device according to claim 13, wherein the functional layer is divided into pixels configured to display an image and the transparent electrode is opposed to a display side displaying image.

18. The electric device according to claim 13, wherein the functional layer emits light and the transparent electrode is positioned at a side for taking out light.

19. The electric device according to claim 13, wherein the pair of electrodes are transparent.

20. The electric device according to claim 13, further comprising an electron injection layer.