Physicochemical properties of SnO2-Sb2O5 films prepared by the spray pyrolysis technique

The properties of SnO2-Sb2O5 mixed-oxide films prepared by the spray pyrolysis method were studied under different synthesis conditions. The film density, measured by profilometry and by a spectrophotometric method, was close to that reported in the literature for crystalline tin dioxide. Analysis by energy dispersive spectrometry and x-ray photo-electron spectroscopy showed that the Sb/Sn atom ratio in the films was in all cases about 2.5 times larger with respect to that in the precursor solution. Microstructural characterization by wide-angle x-ray scattering indicates that the deposits consist of large sized crystallites. The influence of the substrate temperature (T) on the average crystallite size (l) has shown that I decreases linearly with T. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the surface of films thinner than 0.5-0.8 mu m is flat with only a limited number of emerging particles.