Instant Postsynthesis Aqueous Dispersion of Sb-Doped SnO2 Nanocrystals: The Synergy between Small-Molecule Amine and Sb Dopant Ratio

Direct printing of transparent conducting oxide (TCO) nanocrystal dispersions holds great promise in solution-processed optoelectronics due to its advantages of low material waste and direct patterning on substrates. An essential prerequisite for printable TCO colloidal solutions is the effective stabilization of TCO nanocrystals to prevent their strong aggregation. In situ stabilization uses long-chain ligands to provide interparticle steric repulsion between TCO nanocrystals during the growth of TCO nanocrystals. In sharp contrast, the postsynthesis dispersion of TCO nanocrystals is particularly challenging since the agglomeration already occurs, especially for TCO nanocrystals synthesized without protection by any organic species. Herein, we propose an instant postsynthesis strategy for aqueous colloidal dispersions of Sb-doped SnO2 (ATO) nanocrystals using small-molecule amines of propylamine, ethylenediamine, monoethanolamine, and triethylamine. The average size of ATO secondary particles in aqueous dispersions can be instantly reduced from around 400 to about 25 nm using these amines. The increased Sb dopant ratio also plays a synergistic role in the dispersion effect. The small-molecule amines are found to be preferably adsorbed onto the Sb sites exposed on ATO nanocrystal surface. A higher Sb dopant ratio would facilitate the adsorption of more amines and induce stronger surface charge repulsion that benefits the stable dispersion of ATO nanocrystals. TCO films fabricated with the ATO nanocrystal dispersions have a high transparency of 80.6% and low sheet resistance of 492 Omega/sq, showing promising application in electrochromic devices.