Preparation and properties of UV-curable polymer/nanosized indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) nanocomposite coatings

UV-curable polymer/nanosized indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) nanocomposite coatings were fabricated by blending ITO slurry and oligomer and reactive monomers. The preparation of ITO slurry and the effect of the ITO content on the electrical conductivity, hardness and optical properties of the nanocomposite coats were investigated. It was found that the electric conductivity and UV absorbance of the nanocomposite coats increased while the hardness and refractive index first increased then decreased with increasing ITO concentration since too high ITO resulted in the incomplete curing of the coatings.