A research group of Professor Atsushi Muramatsu, Assistant Professor
Kiyoshi Kanie at IMRAM, Tohoku University majoring Material Science, and
Dowa Electronics Materials has conducted researches and developments on
a mass synthesis method of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) nanoparticles that
have gathered attention as transparent conductive film materials for
next-generation liquid crystal displays. In this study, the group
succeeded in one-step synthesis of high crystalline Sn-Doped ITO
monodisperse particles at the atomic level without thermal history for
the first time.

The research group has newly developed an enormous amount of solution
phase synthesis that uses a technology to precisely control sizes and
shapes of particles two years ago. This method has been difficult to
develop, and needed thermal processes at the final stage to transform
hydroxide to oxide. The problem has been that nanoparticles are
aggregated or coagulated, and some particles are nonuniformly composed
before becoming thin films. Indium (In), the major element of ITO, is a
rare metal. To meet the continuing demand for In needs to develop the In
saving process that replaces sputtering methods of thin film coating
that consume a large amount of In. ITO nonoink coating method has
attracted attention as a new promising method. The group has developed a
technology for uniform, single-layer coating, and a mass synthesis of
ITO particles by a solvothermal gel-sol method for the first time. The
research results are expected to help make extremely precise structures
after thin films are sintered, and these structures be practically used
as ITO nanoink soon.

[Contact]
Professor and Assistant Director Atsushi Muramatsu
Assistant Professor Kiyoshi Kanie
IMRAM, Tohoku University
Tel: +81 22-217-5163
E-mail: mura@tagen.tohoku.ac.jp