Müller V., Rathousky J., Fattakhova-Rohlfing D.
J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CZ
Keywords: antimony-doped tin oxide nanoparticles, electric conductivity, nonaqueous sol-gel method
Conducting antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles were prepared by a nonaqueous solution route, using benzyl alcohol as both the oxygen source and the solvent, and tin tetrachloride and various Sb(III) and Sb(V) compounds as tin and antimony sources, respectively. This reaction produces non-agglomerated crystalline particles 3 4 nm in size, which can be easily redispersed in high concentrations in a variety of solvents to form stable transparent colloidal solutions without any stabilizing agents. The synthesis temperature is the most important processing parameter largely governing the reaction course and the particle properties. The cassiterite SnO2 lattice can accommodate up to 30 mol% of Sb without significant changes in the structure. The introduction of Sb dopant dramatically increases the particle conductivity, which reaches a maximum for 4 % of Sb being more than two orders of magnitude higher than that of the pristine SnO2 nanoparticles. The obtained conductivity of 1∙10-4 S cm-1 is the highest ever reported for the non-annealed nanosized ATO particles. Exceptionally high conductivity, small size, narrow size distribution and dispersibility in various organic solvents make the ATO nanoparticles excellent primary building units for assembling nanostructured transparent conducting oxide materials with defined porous architectures.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 1, Nanotechnology 2010: Advanced Materials, CNTs, Particles, Films and Composites
Published: June 21, 2010
Pages: 340 - 343
Industry sector: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
Topic: Nanoparticle Synthesis & Applications
ISBN: 978-1-4398-3401-5