Electron distribution and electrical resistance in nanostructured mixed oxides CeO2-In2O3

Abstract

The electronic structure of nanoparticles in binary mixtures of oxides are considered by the example of CeO2-In2O3. The effect of catalytically active CeO2 nanoclusters on charge distribution in nanoparticles with a high concentration of conduction electrons (In2O3) is studied. The spillover of oxygen atoms from CeO2 nanoclusters to In2O3 nanoparticles, which enhances the inhomogeneous distribution of conduction electrons in the In2O3 nanoparticle, is taken into account, and it is shown that exactly spillover leads to depletion of the near-surface layer. The film resistance rises with an increase in the CeO2 concentration, due to a decrease in the near-surface electron density in In2O3 nanoparticles and the overlap of the current flow paths by CeO2 nanoclusters. An expression for the temperature dependence of a nanostructured film resistance is found, taking into account the inhomogeneous distribution of electrons in nanoparticles. The temperature dependence of the CeO2-In2O3 film was measured and the results were compared with theory. A good agreement between theory and experiment was obtained.