title: Crystallization of indium tin oxide nanoparticles: from cooperative behavior to individuality.
abstract: The crystallization pathway of indium tin oxide nanoparticles during solvothermal synthesis in benzyl alcohol was investigated. The synthesis was stopped after different reaction times in the range of 1-24 h, and the structural and morphological characteristics of the products were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. Interestingly, the crystallization mechanism does not proceed along a simple nucleation and growth pathway, but involves a two-step process. In the first 12 h an intermediate phase is formed, which consists of nanocrystallites 3-6 nm in size stabilized by an organic matrix. In this organic-inorganic network the nanoparticles are aligned into superstructures, but without any crystallographic orientation. After 12 h the intermediate phase is abruptly transformed into indium tin oxide nanoparticles with the bixbyite structure and with crystallite sizes of about 10-12 nm. This step is accompanied by the disappearance of the organic phase and the loss of the superstructure.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Research Campus Golm, Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ba
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Feldhoff
authors.forename: Dina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fattakhova Rohlfing
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wark
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Antonietti
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Niederberger
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010316:Particle Size; D044367:Phase Transition; D013499:Surface Properties; D017971:Tin Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D017971:Tin Compounds; C109984:indium tin oxide