Effect of Ag addition on the structural and electrical properties of ITO powder compact

Nanocrystalline ITO-Ag powders were prepared using a coprecipitation method. Surface modified silver nanoparticles were mixed with the indium tin hydroxide precursor before the sintering process. The ITO-Ag nanocomposite powder was formed into pellets by uniaxial pressing process. The effect of addition of silver to the electrical and structural properties of ITO powder compact was studied. The relative density of the metal filled composite ITO-Ag powder compact is higher than the pure ITO powder compact. The result may be attributed to the melted silver eventually fills the void space between agglomerate pores and hence enhances the interconnection between nanocrystalline ITO powders. The crystal phase and particle size of ITO powder and ITO-Ag powder were measured by powder X-ray diffraction and the surface morphology of powder compact was investigated using a scanning electron microscope.