Structural changes induced by Sn, Zr, Al substitution in ZnkIn2Ok+3 transparent conducting oxides powders as deduced by transmission electron microscopy

Sn, Zr and Al substituted ZnkIn2Ok+3 powders were made using high temperatu re solid state reactions. The resulting samples were first characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and then by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to identify the microstructures and phase compositions occ asionally occurring within a particle. We found that the substituted powder samples are usually composed of particles made of ZnkIn2Ok+3 polytypes int ergrowth mixed with grains of In2O3-type structure, rather than being singl e phase. From a complete analysis of the collected HRTEM images we obtained a statistical polytype population distribution that was used to satisfacto rily simulate the experimental XRD patterns based on Hendricks and Teller a pproximation. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.