Synthesis and characterization of ATO/SiO2 nanocomposite coating obtained by sol-gel method

A new sol-gel route was developed for synthesizing homogeneous nanocomposite thin film that was composed of Sb-SnO2 (ATO) nanoparticles and silica matrix. TEM studies show that as-prepared composite thin film contains the amorphous silica matrix and ATO nanocrystalline particles that were dispersed homogeneously in silica matrix. The oxalic acid is an excellent dispersant for colloidal stability of ATO aqueous sol at pH<5. The result of Zeta potential measurement shows that dispersion mechanism comes from the chemisorption of oxalic acid on the surface of ATO nanoparticles. The thermal treatment in reducing atmosphere considerably promotes grain growth of ATO nanoparticles and changes the optical property of ATO/SiO2 nanocomposite thin film.