Transparent conductive electrodes produced in Iran using nanomaterials

Iranian metallurgy and materials engineers synthesized transparent conductive electrodes with reasonable price and desirable optical and electrical properties by using niobium nanoparticles and adding them to indium tin oxide. The researchers used sol-gel method in order to synthesize the electrode. “The aim of the research was to add various concentrations of niobium to indium tin oxide with different approaches through sol-gel method (spinning coating) to synthesize cheap transparent conductive electrode with optimum electrical and optical properties and high coating abilities,” Sa’eed Mohammadi, one of the researchers, explained. According to him, the synthesis of thin layer nanostructure with transparency of more than 85% in the range of visible light, desirable electrical properties, and high quality of coating have been obtained by using the advantages of spin coating sol-gel synthesis method. Results of the research show that the addition of niobium to indium tin oxide structure at its optimum ratio results in 37% reduction in electrical resistance, decrease in surface roughness, and reduction in particle size while it does not change the transparency of the thin layer. Among other characteristics of this research, mention can be made of the synthesis of niobium indium tin oxide nanostructure thin layer with optimum electrical and optical properties with high coating quality, which can compete with the transparent conductive electrodes produced through other methods with the addition of niobium pollutant at its optimum atomic percentage. Results of the research have been published in May 2013 in Ceramics International, vol. 4. For more information about the details of the research, study the full paper on pages 4391-4398 on the same journal.