Antimony doped tin oxide coating of muscovite clays by the Pechini route

The preparation of antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) conductive thin films on mica (muscovite) clays is described. ATO coating solution was prepared from ethylene glycol monomer, citric acid ligand, SbCl₃ and SnCl ₂ precursors in alcohol solution. Muscovite thin film coating was prepared by gradual addition of the precursor solution to a water-muscovite clay dispersion. Under appropriate precursor concentrations and temperature, aggregation of the clays and ATO particles was prevented, and the ATO film grew exclusively on the clay substrate. Heat treatment of the coated mica resulted in semi transparent and conductive clays which could be used for composite film formation. Whereas the Pechini route is widely used for dip coating of ATO films, here we extend the approach for coating particulate matter. The films were characterized by electronic microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, powder diffraction, and thermal analysis and the dependence of conductivity on calcination temperature and precursor concentrations are described.