Abstract Antimony-doped Tin Oxide Research Articles

Photoelectrochemical Efficiency Applications of Antimony-doped Tin Oxide Thin Film by Thermal Evaporation Technique

Antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) Sb–SnO2 has been prepared by thermal evaporation technique on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate. The prepared ATO thin film was characterized by X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), UV-vis’s spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and photoluminescence studies (PLS) at room temperature, 250 and 500 ºC. Furthermore, the as-fabricated ATO/indium tin oxide device was subjected to electrical measurements, was determined at room temperature and 500 ºC without etching, chemical etching and photoetching processes. Post-treatment, such as annealing and etching, electrochemical photocurrent results showed that the maximum photoelectrochemical performance without etching at 500 ºC of the PEC cell.

A facile synthesis of antimony-doped tin oxide-coated TiO2 composites and their electrical properties

Antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) coated TiO2 (TiO2@ATO) conductive composites were synthesized by a sol–gel method using acetylacetone as the chelating agent in water based. As-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that the optical band gap gradually decreases from 3.081 eV to 3.068 eV with the increase of antimony doping concentration. The optimal molar ratio of acetylacetone to metal ions was 4 while the water content was 50 mL. When the antimony doping concentration was 35 mol%, TiO2@ATO composite possessed the lowest resistivity of 4.5 Ω cm. ATO nanoparticles with an average particle size of 8.3 nm formed a shell of about 10 nm on the surface of TiO2. In addition, the corresponding formation mechanism of TiO2@ATO composite was proposed on the basis of the experimental analysis.

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ATO NANOPARTICLES BY COPRECIPITATION WITH MODIFIED DRYING METHOD

Antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles were prepared by coprecipitation by packing drying and traditional direct drying (for comparison) methods. The as-prepared ATO nanoparticles were characterized by TG, XRD, EDS, TEM, HRTEM, BET, bulk density and electrical resistivity measurements. Results indicated that the ATO nanoparticles obtained by coprecipitation with direct drying method featured hard-agglomerated morphology, high bulk density, low surface area and low electrical resistivity, probably due to the direct liquid evaporation during drying, the fast shrinkage of the precipitate, the poor removal efficiency of liquid molecules and the hard agglomerate formation after calcination. Very differently, the ATO product obtained by the packing and drying method featured free-agglomerated morphology, low bulk density, high surface area and high electrical resistivity ascribed probably to the formed vapor cyclone environment and liquid evaporation-resistance, avoiding fast liquid removal and improving the removal efficiency of liquid molecules. The intrinsic formation mechanism of ATO nanoparticles from different drying methods was illustrated based on the dehydration process of ATO precipitates. Additionally, the packing and drying time played key roles in determining the bulk density, morphology and electrical conductivity of ATO nanoparticles.

Dependence of O2 and Ar2 flow rates on the physical properties of ATO thin films deposited by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD)

Antimony-doped tin oxide SnO2:Sb thin films were fabricated through atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition at T = 350 °C on soda lime glass substrates. After preparing the thin films, the effects of oxygen and argon flow rates on the structural, optical, and electrical properties were investigated. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, optical absorption (UV-Vis), and electrical resistance measurements using the two-point probe technique and the Hall effect. The results showed that the films contained uniform polycrystalline structures. Accordingly, the structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of the samples indicated the following effects: (a) Increasing the oxygen flow rate from 60 to 160 cc/min decreased the intensity of XRD peaks, the average roughness from 48.5 to 47.9 nm, the average transmission from 44 to 40 (in the visible region), the optical band gap from 3.74 to 3.66 eV, and the carrier mobility from 239.52 to 21.08 cm2/V.S; moreover, it increased the average grain size from 74 to 79 nm, the thickness from 320 to 560 nm, the specific resistance from 3.38 × 10−2 to 14.9 × 10−2 Ω cm, the carrier concentration from 7.72 × 1017 to 1.99 × 1018 cm−3, and the Seebeck coefficient from 47.2 to 57.85 μVk−1 (at 400 K). (b) Increasing the argon flow rate of 40 cc/min to 120 cc/min decreased the intensity of XRD peaks, the average size of grains from 88 nm to 61 nm, the optical band gap from 3.66 to 2.73 eV, the carrier concentration from 1.99 × 1018 to 1.73 × 1017 cm−3, and the Seebeck coefficient from 57.85 to 36.59 μVk−1 (at 400 k); moreover, this increased the average roughness from 47.9 to 50.8 nm, the average transmission from 40 to 64 (in the visible region), thickness from 560 to 620 nm, specific resistance from 14.9 × 10−2 to 39.87 × 10−2 Ω cm, and carrier mobility from 21.08 to 90.61 μv/vs. (c) All thin films had degenerate n-type conductivity.

SYNCHRONOUS IMPROVEMENT OF DISPERSIBILITY AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTY OF ANTIMONY DOPED TIN OXIDE NANOPARTICLES PROCESSED BY POLYVINYL ALCOHOL

Antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles were prepared by wet chemical coprecipitation method with different contents of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) dispersant. The prepared ATO nanoparticles have been characterized by means of XRD, SEM, HRTEM, SAED, EDS, bulk density and electrical resistivity measurement. Results indicated that the approach functionalized by PVA dispersant enables a synchronous improvement of two important properties namely the dispersibility and electrical conductivity due to the mechanism of avoiding the formation of agglomeration of nanoparticles, which could be regarded as primary factors for the enhanced electron transfer of powders: The surface area over which are crucial for the interfacial arrangement and electron charge scattering/transfer processes. The bulk density and electrical resistivity decreased to a minimum of 0.90 g/cm3 and 1.44 Ω⋅cm at PVA dispersant content of 5%, and increased rapidly at higher PVA contents. The prepared ATO nanoparticles can serve as a kind of effective conductive filler in insulating species such as plastics, textile and rubber.

Fabrication and Conductive Performance of Antimony-Doped Tin Oxide-Coated Halloysite Nanotubes

Antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) was deposited on the surface of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) to obtain conductive composite ATO/HNTs by a hydrolysis precipitation process. Structure and morphology of the samples were systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry–differential scanning calorimetry (TG–DSC), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results indicated that ATO nanoparticles were successfully coated as thin layers on the surface of halloysite and the particle size was ∼7.4nm when calcined at 700°C. The ATO/HNTs composites were obtained with a resistivity of ∼430Ω⋅cm under the optimum experimental parameters. ATO layers were proved to attach to the halloysite surface via the Sn – O – Si or Sn – O – Al bonds. A corresponding coating mechanism was depicted.

Photochemically modified ATO NPs as conductive support of Pt electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles (NPs) were covalently modified with a benzophenone-silicate photoreactive organic molecule to enable the UV-mediated photoreduction of Pt(IV) on the surface of the ATO NPs to give Pt(0) NPs. The successfully synthesized Pt/ATO nanocomposites (NCs) that were based on these novel hybrid photoreactive ATO NPs showed a much better Pt dispersion than Pt/ATO NCs prepared by traditional methods. The size of the Pt NPs was below 2.8 nm for all the NCs. The prepared NCs were studied with respect to their properties as durable and active electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. They were subjected to fuel-cell-relevant electrochemical characterization by rotating disc electrode cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemically active surface area was found to be significantly lower for the novel NCs than for the standard Pt/C catalyst, while on the other hand, their specific electrocatalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was found to exceed that of the reference Pt/C by several times. The ORR activity in terms of the mass of Pt was comparable to, or greater than, that of the Pt/C. The stability towards electrochemical ageing was greatly improved for Pt/ATO NCs relative to Pt/C.

A new microporous layer material to improve the performance and durability of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) modified by N-doped carbon coating has the good electrochemical durability and compromise conductivity, exhibiting a better cell performance as a microporous layer for PEMFC.

Resistivity Characterization of Ti Based ATO and its Preparation

Antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) is an oxide material with well electrical conductivity. The composite material of Ti based ATO is prepared with Ti particles (45 μm) according to the thermal decomposition method. The resistivity of the material has been analyzed with a measurement device under 1.7 MPa in particles form. The factors influencing the resistivity were studied and optimized in this work. In order to minimize the resistivity of the material, the optimum conditions are putted forward as: mass ratio of coating solution 15% (SbCl3 to SnCl4⋅5H2O), repeating coating process 20 times (coating with the solution and then dried at 100 °C), sintering at 450 °C for 15 min. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the resistivity of the composite particles is 232 Ω·m. Furthermore, ATO coating improved the properties of the composite material in the oxidation resistance.

Study on Nanometer ATO Powder Prepared with Citric Acid as Dispersant and its Conductive Properties

Antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) Nano powder was prepared by co-precipitation method, selecting SnCl4 • 5H2O and SbCl3 as the main raw material, citric acid as dispersant, ammonia solution (1:3) as precipitant, which was characterized, analyzed and tested by XRD, SEM, and digital conductivity meter. The optimum technological condition is that evenly-scattered powder whose crystalline structure is rutile, particle is sphere, size is about 10nm and conductivity is 1.32 ×102 µs/cm can be obtained when the reaction temperature is 60°C, Sb doping ratio is 10%, pH value is 2, calcinations temperature are 600°C and calcinations time are 2 hours.

Effect of Sb doping on structural, electrical and optical properties of epitaxial SnO2 films grown on r-cut sapphire

Abstract Antimony-doped tin oxide (SnO 2 :Sb) films have been epitaxially grown on r-cut sapphire substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Although the films were all (1 0 1) oriented with rutile structure, they showed different microstructure, electrical and optical properties as Sb doping varied from 0% to 7%. The doping of Sb could reduce the formation of (1 0 1) twins in SnO 2 films. The SnO 2 :Sb film with the lowest resistivity of 1.3 × 10 −3 Ω cm and the highest carrier concentration of 2.5 × 10 20 cm −3 was obtained at 5% Sb-doping. The undoped and Sb-doped SnO 2 films exhibited different electrical transport mechanism. The samples showed high transparency of ∼80% in the visible range. As Sb concentration increased, the absorption edge of the films shifted to shorter wavelength and the calculated optical band gaps were about 3.77–4.11 eV.

Synthesis and Characterization of Antimony Doped Tin Oxide Conductive Nanoparticles by Alkoxide Hydrolysis Method

Antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) conductive nano-particles are synthesised by alkoxide hydrolysis method using SnCl4•5H2O and SbCl3 as raw materials. The optimum parameters are determined as: Sb3+ doped molar concentration 15%, reaction temperature 60°C and roasting temperature 600°C. Under optimum conditions, the synthesised nano-particles are characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). XRD results show that all Sb ions came into the SnO2 lattice to substitute Sn ions. The image of TEM shows the ATO conductive nano-particles average size is 5 nm. Volume resistivity lowest value of ATO nano-particles is 141 Ω•cm.

Antimony-Doped SnO<sub>2</sub> Nanoparticles with Controlled Doping Level via Nonaqueous Sol-Gel Procedure

Antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles with controlled doping level were prepared by a nonaqueous solution route, using alcohol as the solvent, citric acid as an agent, tin (IV) tetrachloride as tin source and antimony (III) chlorideas as antimony sources. As-synthesized samples were characterized by Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron micrographs (TEM), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that the content of citric acid was the most important processing parameter which was largely governing the reaction course and the complete incorporation of Sb. When the citric acid to metal mol ratio was 2, the particles were the highly crystallized ATO nanoparticles of about 20nm and the Sb atoms were indeed incorporated into the SnO2 crystal structure (cassiterite SnO2).

Effect of Sintering Agents on the Sintering and Physical Properties of ATO (Antimony Doped Tin Oxide)

Antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) is a typical p-type semiconductor and widely used due to its good properties such as electrical conductivity and transparency in visible range, while reflects infrared light. These features allow ATO to be used as transparent electrodes, heat mirrors and energy storage device, display panel. However, the use of tin oxide ceramics is limited by the low densification during sintering due to the dominance of non-densification mechanism such as surface diffusion or evaporation condensation. So, sintering agents such as Cobalt (II) oxide (CoO), zinc oxide (ZnO), manganese dioxide (MnO2) used to improve the densification of SnO2 by forming lattice solid solution or liquid phase. In this study, we studied the effect of the sintering agents. The antimony-doped tin oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by a sol-gel method. After sintering ATO with sintering agents such as MnO2 and CoO, sintered body characteristics were investigated by XRD, SEM, thermal conductivity, resistivity and interesting characteristic.

Agglomeration Eliminating Antimony Doped Tin Oxide (ATO) Nanoparticles by Different Drying Methods

Antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles were synthesized via complex-homogeneous coprecipitation. Then different drying methods (such as azeotropic distillation, infrared drying and microwave drying, etc.) were used to eliminate the agglomeration. The nanoparticles were characterized by thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements (BET). The result shows that ATO nanopaticles with tetragonal rutile phase structure are all well crystallized after the drying processes above, and the average grain size is between 29.30 nm and 71.52 nm. The grain size estimated by BET method is similar to the result of Scherrer equation, and the nanoparticles prepared by azeotropic distillation have better crystallinity comparing to other methods. With the extension of the distillation time, the grain size increases, and the colour changes from grey blue to light grey. Moreover, the combination of azeotropic distillation and infrared drying can prepare smaller and better crystalline ATO nanoparticles.

THE EFFECT OF ANNEALING ATMOSPHERES ON STRUCTURAL, ELECTRICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE ATO FILMS PREPARED BY RF MAGNETRON SPUTTERING

Antimony-doped tin oxide ( SnO 2: Sb , ATO) films were deposited on 7059 corning glass substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering method using a commercial ceramic target with a mixture of SnO 2 and Sb (6 wt.%) for application to transparent electrodes. The ATO film was deposited at working pressure of 5 mTorr and RF power of 175 W without substrate heating. The thickness of the deposited ATO films was about 150 nm using a surface profiler (alpha-step). The films were annealed at temperatures ranging from 300 to 600°C in step of 100°C using RTA equipment in vacuum and oxygen atmosphere, respectively. We investigated the effects of the post-annealing atmospheres on structural, electrical and optical properties of the ATO films. The results show that the increase of the annealing temperature improved the crystallinity of the ATO films, increased the grain size and improved electrical and optical properties, regardless of annealing atmospheres. The resistivity of the ATO films decreased significantly with higher annealing temperatures in vacuum and oxygen atmosphere. In the visible range from 400 to 800 nm, the optical transmittance of the ATO films increased over 90% at higher annealing temperature.

Effects of annealing temperature on structural, optical, and electrical properties of antimony-doped tin oxide thin films

Antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) films, approximately 320 nm in thickness, have been prepared by electron beam evaporation onto glass substrates. The films were annealed at temperatures between 400°C and 550°C in air and their structure and surface morphologies were observed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) after the different annealing treatments. XRD patterns of the ATO thin films as-deposited and annealed at 400°C showed that they were amorphous, but annealing beyond 400°C caused the films to become polycrystalline with tetragonal structure and orientated in the (1 1 0) direction. The grain size in the annealed films, obtained from the XRD analysis, was in the range 146–256 Å and this increased with the annealing temperature. The dislocation density, cell volume and strain were found to decrease gradually with increasing annealing temperature. Photoluminescence spectra revealed an intensive blue/violet peak at 420 nm, which increased gradually in height with annealing. It is suggested that an increase in the population of Sb+5 ions might be the reason for the enhancement of the blue/violet emission. The optical properties of the films were also investigated in the UV-visible-NIR region (300–1000 nm). The optical constants, namely the refractive index n and the extinction coefficient k in the visible region were calculated. The optical energy band gap, as determined by the dependence of the absorption coefficient on the photon energy at short wavelengths, was found to increase from 3.59 to 3.76 eV with annealing temperature.

Effect of Erbium Dopant on Conductivity of Antimony‐Doped Tin Oxide (ATO) Nanoparticles

ATO nanoparticles doped with erbium were prepared using chemical co‐precipitation method. Meanwhile, the conductivity of nanoparticles was investigated using Source Meter. The results indicate that erbium dopant has great effect on the electrical property of the ATO nanoparticles. Compared with undoped ATO nanoparticles, the resistivity of ATO nanoparticles doped with 0.5 mol% erbium decreased by a factor of 800. This may be ascribed to formation of acceptor lever near valence band of ATO due to the presence of f energy lever of rare earth element. The effect of annealing temperature on the electrical property of the erbium‐doped ATO nanoparticles was also explored.

The Optical and Electrical Properties of Antimony-Doped Tin Oxide Transparent Conducting Thin Films Prepared by Sol-Gel Dip-Coating Technique

Antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) transparent conducting thin films were prepared by sol-gel dip-coating technique in the alcohol solution of metal salts of tin (II) chloride dehydrate and antimony tri-chloride. Usual glass slides (25×76×1mm3) were used as the substrates. As-prepared thin films were dried at temperature of 343K and annealed at temperatures of 673~823K. Their optical properties were analyzed by Hitachi U-3310 spectrophotometer. The good optical transmission of the ATO thin films has been obtained as high as 80%-90% in visible region by the optimization of deposition conditions, but decreased substantially in IR region. From the X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, it showed that ATO films had the similar structures with the pure tin oxide films, i.e. tetragonal rutile structure, despite of some rhombic SnO crystals. We analyzed the transmittance in the visible region depending on the vary Sb doped level, temperature, and dip-coating times. The sheet resistance of the investigated thin films was determined by four-probe method, showing that it was about 85-1009/□, which decreased with the increase of antimony doped concentration.

AFM Investigation of Nano Particle Incorporated Sb Doped SnO<sub>2</sub> Films

Antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) thin films were deposited onto silica coated soda lime silicate substrate by the sol-gel method using Sb(OC4H9)4 and Sn(OC4H9)4 as the precursor materials. Conductive tin oxide nano particles of different particle size were added into the sols. The films were subjected to heat treatment at t=500) for about one hour. Film structure and surface morphology has been investigated by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Room temperature electrical resistivity of the films was measured using the conventional four probe van der paul method. The influence of incorporation of conductive nano particles on the electrical conductivity of Sb-doped tin oxide films was studied. The correlation between the microstructure and the film electrical property has been obtained. The status of the nano particles in the films has also investigated by FTIR spectroscopy.