What Are The Alternative Materials For ITO In Touch Screen Industry?

The touch screen is no longer a new term; it can be used in smartphones, wearable devices, smart homes, and many other electronic consumer products. When talking about touch screens, one cannot ignore the material ITO. Chemically, ITO stands for Indium Tin Oxides, which is doped tin oxide. It is a transparent conductor commonly used in liquid crystal displays (LCD), plasma display panels (PDP), electroluminescent displays (EL/OLED), and the transparent electrodes of touch panels.

ITO Conductive Glass

However, with the development of electronic consumer products, the demand for flexible displays is increasing, while traditional ITO films cannot be used for flexible applications. Therefore, various manufacturers have begun researching alternatives to ITO, including materials such as silver nanowires, metal meshes, and graphene.

ITO Alternative Materials

Silver nanowire (SNW) technology involves applying silver nanowire ink onto plastic or glass substrates and then using laser lithography to create a transparent conductive film with a nanometer-level silver wire conductive network pattern.

1. Although the raw material cost is slightly high, the manufacturing process is simple, and the overall cost is controllable;

2. The resistance change rate of silver nanowires when bent is small, making them more suitable for curved display devices;

3. Due to the small width of the silver wires, a higher light transmittance can be achieved.

• Cambrios Technologies

• Beijing Zhongke Natong Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.

• Shenzhen Huake Chuangzhi Technology Co., Ltd.

• SuZhou Nofi Nano Technology Co., Ltd.

• Hefei Microcrystal Material Technology Co., Ltd.

• SuZhou Cold Stone Nano Material Technology Co., Ltd.

• Zhejiang Kexin New Material Technology Co., Ltd.

• Guangdong Nanhai Qiming Guangda Technology Co., Ltd.

• Chengdu Chongyue New Material Co., Ltd.

• Cangzhou Nayu Chemical Materials Co., Ltd.

• Jinan Meigao Nano Materials Co., Ltd.

• Changxing Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.

• ……….

Using readily available and inexpensive raw materials such as silver, copper, and oxides, the conductive metal mesh pattern formed by pressing on PET and other plastic films is called metal mesh.

1. Its advantages include low impedance (less than 10 ohms);

2. Very low capital expenditure;

3. Manufacturing costs are slightly lower than ITO;

4. Transparency is better than ITO;

5. High flexibility;

• SuDa WeiGe Photoelectric Technology Co., Ltd.

• Shenzhen O-film Tech Co., Ltd.

• Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

• …….

Graphene has high optical transparency and electronic mobility, making it a very suitable material for optoelectronic applications. However, due to immature technology, the application of graphene as a transparent electrode is significantly impacted.

1. It has high optical transparency and electronic mobility;

2. The number of available charge carriers can be increased through doping, enhancing its overall performance as an electrode.

• Beijing Carbon Century Technology Co., Ltd.

• Changzhou Two-dimensional Carbon Technology Co., Ltd.

• Hangzhou Baixiong Technology Co., Ltd.

• Hongna (Dongguan) New Material Technology Co., Ltd.

• Nanjing Xianfeng Nano Material Technology Co., Ltd.

• Xiamen Kaina Graphene Technology Co., Ltd.

• Shenzhen Xiwang New Material Technology Co., Ltd.

• Zhuzhou Weilang Technology Co., Ltd.

• Wuxi GeFei Electronic Film Technology Co., Ltd.

• Shanghai New Pool Energy Technology Co., Ltd.

• Chongqing MoXi Technology Co., Ltd.

• Yulan Optoelectronics Co., Ltd.

…….