Discloses herein is a method to make a transparent conductive electrode. The methods comprises providing a substrate, forming a film comprising a first region having a plurality of metal nanowires, wherein at least some of metal nanowires are surface functionalized and inert to oxidation or acid reactions; evaporating away the solvent in the metal nanowire film; exposing the nanowire film to a chemical reagent; forming a second region comprising nanowires, and annealing the film having the first and second region, wherein the resistivity difference between the first and second region is more than 1000.