A Molecular Single-Source Precursor Approach to Synthesize Mesoporous Tin-rich Indium Tin Oxide for Photovoltaic Applications
GDCh (German Chemical Society) Catalysis and Photochemistry for Energy Technologies, Rostock, Germany, 29 June - 01 July 2010, pp.15
- Publication Type: Conference Paper / Full Text
- City: Rostock
- Country: Germany
- Page Numbers: pp.15
- Akdeniz University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
The unique combination of transparency and conductivity allows transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) to find many applications as electrode materials in sensors and optoelectronic devices such as solar cells or organic light emitting diodes.[1]
Indium tin oxide (ITO) is the most widely used TCO as it features a high electric conductivity and high transparency in the visible range. A conceptual problem for the synthesis approaches of ITO is the control over the concentration of tin. Tin can just be doped into the In2O3 phase only in low quantity, typical around 1-10wt%, while higher amounts yield in In2O3/SnO2 phase segregation. To avoid the phase segregation of tin-rich ITO a low temperature approach with high control over the In/Sn molar ratio is required.
The way to overcome all these problems is a single source molecular precursor approach, which allows an effective preparation of nanosized-indium-tin-oxide with high tin content and durable stability.[2] We report on the facile preparation of mesoporous, tin-rich ITO films, prepared using a variety of different templates, which show stable conductivity and transparency. The porous nanostructure allows the incorporation of higher amounts of supported catalytic or enzymatic centers, while the transparency of the electrode makes a spectroscopic characterization of these centers possible, even during cell performance.
[1] K. L. Chopra, S. Major, D. K. Pandya, Thin Solid Films 1983, 102, 1.
[2] Y. Aksu, M. Driess Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2009, 121, 7918.