Synthesis of indium tin oxide nanorods by a facile process with ethylene glycol as solvent

Indium tin oxide nanorods with cubic bixbyite crystalline structure were synthesized by a facilely heating process using InCl3·4H2O, SnCl4·5H2O, carbamide, polyisobutylene bis-succinimide, and ethylene glycol as precursors. The length of the obtained nanorods ranges from 80 nm to 500 nm, with the short dimension ranging from 50 nm to 100 nm. The electrical conductivity of the nanorods is higher than those reported in previous works due to less grain boundaries. The nanorods show strong absorption in the ultraviolet region while very weak absorption in the visible range due to its relative wide bandgap.