Effects of Sn doping on the morphology, structure, and electrical property of In2O3 nanofiber networks

Abstract

This paper studies the effect of Sn doping on the morphological, structural, and electrical properties of the Sn-doping In2O3 nanofiber networks. In2O3-based nanofibers with various relative concentration of Sn precursor (0–20 mol%) were fabricated through the electrospinning method. Scanning electron microscopy observations show that, depending on the relative concentration of SnCl4 in the starting materials, the doped nanofibers with different morphologies, from smooth to corn-like and then to accidented, are fabricated. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that the Sn dopants influence the growth direction of seeds, resulting in doped nanoparticles having diverse shapes and sizes, which are critical for the formation of doped nanofiber with different morphology. From these nanofiber networks, we fabricated several thin sheets to characterize the effect of Sn concentration on the electrical resistivity. The resistivity of thin sheets decreased significantly before the doping concentration up to 12.5 mol%, and then increased slightly at a larger addition. This work will assist further understanding the formation of Sn-doped In2O3 nanofibers and is expected to be extended to other transparent conductive oxides.