Influence of pH of colloidal suspension on the electrical conductivity of SnO2 thin films deposited via Sol-Gel-Dip-Coating

Abstract

Tin dioxide (SnO2) thin films are deposited by the dip-coating technique from colloidal suspensions prepared with distinct pH through the sol-gel method. The decrease of the pH contributes to the destruction of an electrical layer adjacent to particles in solution, leading to a high degree of aggregation among these particles due to the generation of cross-linked bonds (Sn-O-Sn) between them. The aggregation affects the electrical properties of films, because the pH variation produces particle with distinct sizes in the film. Undoped samples prepared from pH 6 leads to the highest conductivity among the investigated undoped samples, in agreement with X-ray diffractograms, which indicate higher crystallinity for lower pH. Arrhenius plot evaluated from temperature dependent conductivity data leads to activation energies of the deepest level between 67 to 140 meV, for the films prepared from suspensions with pH 6 to 11. The most probable explanation for this variation in the conductivity and activation energy is related to distinct potential barriers between grains, due to distinct packing caused by cross-linked bonds formed during suspension phase. Characterization of samples lightly doped with Er3+ confirms that acid pH leads to higher conductivity, but the highest conduction takes place at even lower pH when compared to undoped thin films.