Transparent, Conducting ATO Thin Films by Epoxide-Initiated Sol–Gel Chemistry: A Highly Versatile Route to Mixed-Metal Oxide Films

A robust synthesis approach to transparent conducting oxide (TCO) materials using epoxide assisted sol–gel chemistry is reported. The new route utilizes simple tin and antimony chloride precursors in aqueous solution, thus eliminating the need for organometallic precursors. Propylene oxide acts as a proton scavenger and drives metal hydroxide formation and subsequent polycondensation reactions. Thin films of antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) were prepared by dip-coating of mixed metal oxide sols. After annealing at 600 °C in air, structural, electrical and optical properties of undoped and Sb-doped tin oxide films were characterized. Single layer films with 5 mol % Sb doping exhibited an optical transparency which was virtually identical to that of the plain glass substrate and an electrical resistivity of 2.8 × 10–2 Ω cm. SEM and AFM analysis confirmed the presence of surface defects and cracks which increased with increasing Sb dopant concentration. Multiple depositions of identical ATO films showed a roughly 1 order of magnitude decrease in the film resistivity after the third layer, with typical values below 5 × 10–3 Ω cm. This suggests that a second and third deposition fill up residual cracks and defects in the first layer and thus brings out the full performance of the ATO material. The epoxide-assisted sol chemistry is a promising technique for the preparation of mixed oxide thin film materials. Its superiority over conventional alkoxide and metal salt-based methods is explained in the context of a general description of the reaction mechanism.