Enhancement of infrared shielding property of SnO2 using Sb as a dopant

Abstract

Transparent conducting oxides (TCO) are essential to the operation of advanced energy harvesting and storage devices, as well as display technology. Doped tin oxide (SnO2) exhibits enhanced optical and thermal characteristics in comparison to undoped SnO2. In this article, the cost-effective sol-gel methodology was employed in the synthesis of tin oxide (SnO2) and antimony (Sb) doped tin oxide nanoparticles. According to the XRD analysis, the tetragonal structure was maintained despite the apparent reduction in crystal size as the amount of Sb increased. In the study, the effect that Sb doping has on absorption and reflection in the visible and near-infrared regions was analyzed. The band gap of the nanoparticles was observed to broaden as the concentration of Sb doping was increased from 3.44 eV (ATO-0) to 4.62 eV (ATO-6). The results from UV–vis-NIR spectra demonstrated that the ATO films efficiently reduced the amount of infrared light that passed through them. The results of the heat-insulation test showed that ATO-coated glass outperformed uncoated glass in terms of heat insulation. Because of these characteristics, ATO could be a good replacement material, especially for solar cells and smart windows.