Editing Indium tin oxide (section)

==Common uses==
Indium tin oxide (ITO) is an optoelectronic material that is applied widely in both research and industry. ITO can be used for many applications, such as flat-panel displays, smart windows, polymer-based electronics, thin film photovoltaics, glass doors of supermarket freezers, and architectural windows. Moreover, ITO thin films for glass substrates can be helpful for glass windows to conserve energy.<ref name=j1>{{cite journal |last1=Kim |first1=H. |last2=Gilmore |first2=C. M. |last3=Piqué |first3=A. |last4=Horwitz |first4=J. S. |last5=Mattoussi |first5=H. |author-link5=Hedi Mattoussi |last6=Murata |first6=H. |last7=Kafafi |first7=Z. H. |last8=Chrisey |first8=D. B. |title=Electrical, optical, and structural properties of indium–tin–oxide thin films for organic light-emitting devices |journal=Journal of Applied Physics |date=December 1999 |volume=86 |issue=11 |pages=6451–6461 |doi=10.1063/1.371708 |bibcode=1999JAP....86.6451K }}</ref>

ITO [[Tape casting|green tapes]] are utilized for the production of lamps that are electroluminescent, functional, and fully flexible.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Straue |first1=Nadja |last2=Rauscher |first2=Martin |last3=Dressler |first3=Martina |last4=Roosen |first4=Andreas |last5=Moreno |first5=R. |title=Tape Casting of ITO Green Tapes for Flexible Electroluminescent Lamps |journal=Journal of the American Ceramic Society |date=February 2012 |volume=95 |issue=2 |pages=684–689 |doi=10.1111/j.1551-2916.2011.04836.x }}</ref> Also, ITO thin films are used primarily to serve as coatings that are anti-reflective and for liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and electroluminescence, where the thin films are used as conducting, transparent electrodes.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Du |first1=Jian |last2=Chen |first2=Xin-liang |last3=Liu |first3=Cai-chi |last4=Ni |first4=Jian |last5=Hou |first5=Guo-fu |last6=Zhao |first6=Ying |last7=Zhang |first7=Xiao-dan |title=Highly transparent and conductive indium tin oxide thin films for solar cells grown by reactive thermal evaporation at low temperature |journal=Applied Physics A |date=24 April 2014 |volume=117 |issue=2 |pages=815–822 |doi=10.1007/s00339-014-8436-x |bibcode=2014ApPhA.117..815D |s2cid=95720073 }}</ref>

ITO is often used to make transparent conductive coating for displays such as [[liquid crystal display]]s, [[OLED]] displays, [[plasma display]]s, [[Touchscreen|touch panel]]s, and [[Electronic paper|electronic ink]] applications. Thin films of ITO are also used in [[organic light-emitting diode]]s, [[solar cell]]s, [[antistatic coating]]s and [[electromagnetic interference|EMI]] shieldings. In [[organic light-emitting diode]]s, ITO is used as the [[anode]] (hole injection layer).

ITO films deposited on windshields are used for defrosting aircraft windshields. The heat is generated by applying a voltage across the film. ITO is also used to reflect or absorb [[electromagnetic radiation]]. The [[Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor|F-22 Raptor]]'s canopy has an ITO coating that absorbs [[radar]] waves and reflects infrared waves, enhancing its [[Stealth technology|stealth]] capabilities and giving it a distinctive gold tint.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sweetman |first1=Bill |author1-link=Bill Sweetman |title=F-22 Raptor |date=1998 |publisher=[[MBI Publishing Company]] |isbn=978-1-61060-143-6 |page=48 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Xu |first1=Yang |title=Indium tin oxide as a dual-band compatible stealth material with low infrared emissivity and strong microwave absorption |journal=Journal of Materials Chemistry C |date=2023-01-06 |volume=11 |issue=5 |pages=1754–1763 |doi=10.1039/D2TC04722E |url=https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2023/tc/d2tc04722e |access-date=2025-03-24|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

ITO is also used for various [[optical coating]]s, most notably [[infrared]]-reflecting coatings ([[hot mirror]]s) for automotive, and [[sodium vapor lamp]] glasses. Other uses include [[gas sensor]]s,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Mokrushin|first1=Artem S.|last2=Fisenko|first2=Nikita A.|last3=Gorobtsov|first3=Philipp Yu|last4=Simonenko|first4=Tatiana L.|last5=Glumov|first5=Oleg V.|last6=Melnikova|first6=Natalia A.|last7=Simonenko|first7=Nikolay P.|last8=Bukunov|first8=Kirill A.|last9=Simonenko|first9=Elizaveta P.|last10=Sevastyanov|first10=Vladimir G.|last11=Kuznetsov|first11=Nikolay T.|date=2021-01-01|title=Pen plotter printing of ITO thin film as a highly CO sensitive component of a resistive gas sensor|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0039914020307463|journal=Talanta|language=en|volume=221|pages=121455|doi=10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121455|pmid=33076078|s2cid=224811369|issn=0039-9140|url-access=subscription}}</ref> [[antireflection coating]]s, [[electrowetting]] on dielectrics, and [[Bragg reflector]]s for [[VCSEL]] lasers. ITO is also used as the IR reflector for low-e window panes.  ITO was also used as a sensor coating in the later [[Kodak DCS]] cameras, starting with the Kodak DCS 520, as a means of increasing blue channel response.<ref>[http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/professional/tib/tib4131.jhtml?pq-path=14567#SEC3 Increasing the Blue Channel Response]. ''Technical Information Bulletin''. kodak.com</ref>

ITO thin film [[strain gauge]]s can operate at temperatures up to 1400&nbsp;°C and can be used in harsh environments, such as [[gas turbine]]s, [[jet engine]]s, and [[rocket engine]]s.<ref>{{cite thesis |last1=Luo |first1=Qing |title=Indium tin oxide thin film strain gages for use at elevated temperatures |date=1 January 2001 |pages=1–146 |url=https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/dissertations/AAI3025561 |access-date=2 November 2019 |archive-date=2 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102170845/https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/dissertations/AAI3025561/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Silver nanoparticle–ITO hybrid ===

ITO has been popularly used as a high-quality flexible substrate to produce flexible electronics.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lu |first1=Nanshu |last2=Lu |first2=Chi |last3=Yang |first3=Shixuan |last4=Rogers |first4=John |title=Highly Sensitive Skin-Mountable Strain Gauges Based Entirely on Elastomers |journal=Advanced Functional Materials |date=10 October 2012 |volume=22 |issue=19 |pages=4044–4050 |doi=10.1002/adfm.201200498 |s2cid=16369286 }}</ref> However, this substrate's flexibility decreases as its conductivity improves. Previous research have indicated that the mechanical properties of ITO can be improved through increasing the degree of [[crystallinity]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kim |first1=Eun-Hye |last2=Yang |first2=Chan-Woo |last3=Park |first3=Jin-Woo |title=The crystallinity and mechanical properties of indium tin oxide coatings on polymer substrates |journal=Journal of Applied Physics |date=15 February 2011 |volume=109 |issue=4 |pages=043511–043511–8 |doi=10.1063/1.3556452 |bibcode=2011JAP...109d3511K }}</ref> Doping with silver (Ag) can improve this property, but results in a loss of transparency.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yang |first1=Chan-Woo |last2=Park |first2=Jin-Woo |title=The cohesive crack and buckle delamination resistances of indium tin oxide (ITO) films on polymeric substrates with ductile metal interlayers |journal=Surface and Coatings Technology |date=May 2010 |volume=204 |issue=16–17 |pages=2761–2766 |doi=10.1016/j.surfcoat.2010.02.033 }}</ref> An improved method that embeds Ag [[nanoparticles]] (AgNPs) instead of homogeneously to create a hybrid ITO has proven to be effective in compensating for the decrease in transparency. The hybrid ITO consists of domains in one orientation grown on the AgNPs and a matrix of the other orientation. The domains are stronger than the matrix and function as barriers to crack propagation, significantly increasing the flexibility. The change in resistivity with increased bending significantly decreases in the hybrid ITO compared with homogeneous ITO.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Triambulo |first1=Ross E. |last2=Kim |first2=Jung-Hoon |last3=Na |first3=Min-Young |last4=Chang |first4=Hye-Jung |last5=Park |first5=Jin-Woo |title=Highly flexible, hybrid-structured indium tin oxides for transparent electrodes on polymer substrates |journal=Applied Physics Letters |date=17 June 2013 |volume=102 |issue=24 |pages=241913 |doi=10.1063/1.4812187 |bibcode=2013ApPhL.102x1913T }}</ref>