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Sol–Gel Processing and Characterization of Pure and Metal‐Doped SnO 2 Thin Films
Author(s) -
Epifani Mauro,
Alvisi Marco,
Mirenghi Luciana,
Leo Gabriella,
Siciliano Pietro,
Vasanelli Lorenzo
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1151-2916.2001.tb00606.x
Subject(s) - platinum , palladium , dopant , nickel , materials science , osmium , sol gel , tin , inorganic chemistry , metal , chemical engineering , doping , catalysis , ruthenium , chemistry , metallurgy , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , optoelectronics , engineering
A chloride‐based inorganic sol–gel route was used for preparing pure and metal (osmium, nickel, palladium, platinum)‐doped SnO 2 sol. SnCl 4 was first reacted with propanol, then the resulting compound was hydrolyzed and subsequently mixed with solutions of the metal dopants. The obtained sols were used for depositing thin films by spin coating or for preparing powders by solvent evaporation at 110°C. FTIR spectroscopy and thermal analysis of the powders revealed that chlorine still bound to tin stabilized the sol against gelation by hindering the condensation reactions. Film characterizations showed that platinum and palladium, unlike nickel and osmium, were likely to form nanoparticles in the SnO 2 lattice. This result was discussed with regard to the different ways that platinum and palladium, on one hand, and nickel and osmium, on the other, modified the growth of SnO 2 grains and the film roughness and morphology. Dopants that formed nanoparticles (platinum, palladium) resulted in the roughest film, while dopants that did not form particles (nickel, osmium) resulted in SnO 2 grain size very close to that of pure SnO 2 .