2014 Volume 122 Issue 1426 Pages 421-425
This paper reports study of zinc (Zn)-antimony (Sb) interactions as well as oxygen defect chemistry in dense SnO2 ceramics using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Dense SnO2 ceramics with ZnO and Sb2O5 additives with different concentration were synthesized by conventional techniques. Characterization using SIMS revealed the morphology of the SnO2 ceramics, the concentration of Zn and Sb in SnO2 grains, as well as segregation and secondary phase formation. The distributions of Zn and Sb were dependent on their concentrations. Oxygen diffusivity significantly decreased by the incorporation of Sb, whereas the diffusivity slightly increased with increasing Zn concentration in the SnO2 grain. Our results show interaction of Zn, Sb, and oxygen vacancies, suggesting that incorporation of Zn into SnO2 grains promotes Sb incorporation into the grains.