Characterisation of Ti-doped indium tin oxide nanoparticles synthesised by co-precipitation process

Abstract

Ti-doped indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles (TITO) with different molar ratios of Ti:ITO were synthesised by co-precipitation method using Ti(OCH2CH2CH2CH3)4, InCl3 and SnCl4·5H2O as starting precursors. Deionised (DI) water was selected as the solvent in this process. The as-precipitated powders were calcined at different temperatures around 700°C for 2 h. For all samples, their crystal structures, optical properties and morphologies were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. XRD results reveal that the purity of as-synthesised samples is increased with the increase of calcination temperatures. Relevant mechanisms involved in the synthesis via precipitation process are discussed. It is noticed that the incorporation of Ti into ITO matrix significantly affects the relevant physical properties and optical properties.