Transparent electrode materials and methods for forming same

A transparent electrode material including a conductive layer having an active surface and a second surface, and an adjacent base layer, wherein: o the conductive layer includes a conductive network formed by metallic nanowires and carbon nanotubes encapsulated in a conductive material; o the second surface of the conductive layer has encapsulated nanowires and/or nanotubes projecting therefrom; and o the encapsulated nanowires and/or nanotubes projecting from the second surface of the conductive layer are embedded in the adjacent base layer; whereby the active surface of the conductive layer is smooth and electrically active, and the transparent electrode material has a sheet resistance less than 50 Ω/sq and a transparency greater than 70%.