Ni-Seeded 2D Ag Films in ITO Multilayers for Transparent EMI Shielding

Island growth in sputter-coated silver (Ag) films degrades conductivity and optical reflection, limiting their application in transparent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding for windows. To address the issue, we introduced a nickel (Ni) seed layer to enhance the wetting effect of the glass surface, suppressing migration and aggregation of Ag nanoparticles at the percolation thickness. The Ni layer reduced the nucleation energy barrier, decreasing the driving force for Ag atom aggregation and promoting a transition from 3D to 2D film growth. The Ni concentration critically influenced the Ag film morphology, directly impacting transmittance and EMI shielding. Consequently, Ni-induced Ag films (NA) and ITO/NA/ITO (INAI) multilayers achieved transmittances of 74 and 88% at 550 nm, respectively, significantly surpassing pure Ag (64%) and ITO/Ag/ITO (IAI, 83%). The INAI film exhibited an average EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 31 dB in the X-band and a corrosion current of 10–9.5 A/cm2 in 5 wt % NaCl solution, 3 orders of magnitude lower than pure Ag (10–6.5 A/cm2). This Ni-seeding strategy enables INAI multilayers with enhanced transmittance, EMI shielding performance, and corrosion resistance for demanding transparent EMI shielding applications in harsh environments.