Exploration of chemical reaction routes to the synthesis of possible transparent p-type conductor Sn2GeO4

• Published in: Journal of the Korean Physical Society 2023-08, Vol.83 (4), p.283-288
• Main Authors: Oh, Ju Hyun, Kim, Hyunwoo, Kang, Mijeong, Park, Jihun, Lee, Seunghun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Byproducts; Chemical reactions; Chemical synthesis; Conduction; Free energy of formation; Germanium; Gibbs free energy; Heat of formation; Mathematical and Computational Physics; Original Paper - Condensed Matter; Particle and Nuclear Physics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Temperature dependence; Theoretical; Tin
• ISSN: 0374-4884; 1976-8524
• DOI: 10.1007/s40042-023-00883-x

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) with p -type conductivity are highly sought after, but the development of high-performance p -type TCOs remains a challenge. Recently, Sn 2 GeO 4 has been theoretically suggested as a promising p -type TCO, but experimental reports on this material are still lacking. Here, we explore three possible synthesis routes with different starting materials and reaction temperatures, including the theoretically suggested one, but none of them contain trace amount of the Sn 2 GeO 4 phase as confirmed by X-ray diffractometry. The Gibbs free energy of formation suggests that some of the reactions are energetically favorable and spontaneous, but the formation of more stable byproducts is likely to hinder the desired chemical reaction. Interestingly, we report the formation of a previously unseen SnGeO 3 phase as one of the byproducts from the chemical reaction. This work provides experimental database with systematic analysis of temperature-dependent phase evolution to understand the Sn–Ge–O system, thus serving as a reference study for future research in this field.