Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide Nanocrystals Prepared by Sol-Gel Method

Fluorine-doped tin dioxide (FTO) nanocrystals were prepared with sol–gel method using SnCl4·5H2O and NH4F as precursor material. The FTO was characterized with X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Differential Thermal Analysis and Thermal Grativity (DTA-TG) and Infrared Radiation (IR) respectively. The electrical property was measured with Hall Effect Sensor. The result of XRD and SEM shows that FTO nanocrystal size is about 20 nm and the dimension of the grain is about 300 nm. IR spectrum analysis proves fluorine doping. The crystal phase transformation was discussed with DTA-TG curve. When the sintering temperature is 450°C, the sintering time is 60 min, and the molar ratio of F to Sn is 2:10, the sheet resistance of FTO film is 107Ω/□.