The preparation of ethanol-based antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nano-sots and their films are described. Aggregates of antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles were synthesized by a hydrothermal method in an autoclave. After peptization with tetramethylammonium hydroxide and solvent-exchange to ethanol, highly stable ethanol-based ATO nano-sols with solid contents up to 20 wt% were prepared. Transparent ATO films were formed on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films using the ATO nano-sol by a spin coating method. The effects of antimony content and solid content on packing density and the resistivity of the ATO films were studied.

Keywords: antimony-doped tin oxide; peptization; resistivity; transparency