ELECTROSPINNING-ASSISTED SYNTHESIS OF CRYSTALLINE INDIUM TIN OXIDE (ITO) PARTICLES WITH A CUBIC BIXBYITE-TYPE STRUCTURE

Cristian COCIȘ-VAGNER; Marieta MUREȘAN-POP; Lucian BARBU-TUDORAN; Liliana BIZO

doi:10.24193/subbchem.2026.3.01

Authors

Cristian COCIȘ-VAGNER Babeș-Bolyai University, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, 11 Arany János Street, RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 103-105 Bulevardul Muncii Street, RO-400641, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Marieta MUREȘAN-POP Babeş-Bolyai University, Interdisciplinary Research Institute in Bio-Nano-Sciences, Nanostructured Materials and Bio-Nano-Interfaces Center, 42 Treboniu Laurian Street, RO-400271, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Babeş-Bolyai University, Interdisciplinary Research Institute in Bio-Nano-Sciences, INSPIRE Research Platform, 11 Arany János Street, RO-400028 Cluj-Napoca, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4460-9654
Lucian BARBU-TUDORAN Babeș-Bolyai University, Faculty of Biology and Geology, “C. Crǎciun” Electron Microscopy Center, 5-7 Clinicilor Street, RO-400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, Electron Microscopy Integrated Laboratory, 67-103 Donath Street, RO-400293, Cluj-Napoca, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0360-016X
Liliana BIZO Babeș-Bolyai University, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, 11 Arany János Street, RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. *Corresponding author: liliana.bizo@ubbcluj.ro https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8775-8492

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24193/subbchem.2026.3.01

Keywords:

ITO, PVP, Electrospinning, Annealing, Thermal analyses, XRD, SEM-EDS, DRS

Abstract

Electrospun indium tin oxide (ITO) structures face challenges with high-temperature calcination, dopant homogeneity, and reduced electrical conductivity due to porosity and grain boundaries. However, ongoing advances in precursor design and post-treatment strategies afford promising routes to improve performance and scalability regarding optoelectronic applications. In this study, ITO was synthesized via electrospinning followed by post-annealing, and its morphological, structural, and optical properties were evaluated to assess its suitability as a transparent conductor. The fibers were produced by electrospinning using a precursor solution containing indium trichloride (InCl₃), tin chloride dihydrate (SnCl₂∙2H₂O), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The resulting electrospun mat exhibited an average fiber diameter of 0.56 μm. Following post-annealing of the resulted fiber mat at 700°C, ITO with a cubic bixbyite-type structure and an average particle size of 2.06 μm was obtained. The EDS spectrum shows only indium, tin, and oxygen, indicating as the principal constituent elements of the synthesized ITO. DRS results indicate that post-annealing decreases %R_max from ~ 50% to 28%, reflecting the transition from porous, highly scattering mat to crystalline ITO. This work demonstrates that electrospinning followed by post-annealing could produce crystalline ITO particles, offering a promising alternative to conventional high-temperature solid-state processing.

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