Enhanced Properties of Tin(IV) Oxide Based Materials by Field‐Activated Sintering

The densification of SnO 2 (0.9 mol)–Sb 2 O 3 (0.1 mol) solid solution without any additives was studied by conventional and field‐activated sintering technique (FAST). FAST sintering achieved a relative density value of 92.4% at 1163 K for 10 min versus 61.3% in conventional sintering at 1273 K for 3 h. An abnormal reduction of the IR transmittance and a semiconductor defect structure with only one donor level in the SnO 2 energy gap were noticed in the FAST‐sintered as compared with the conventionally sintered Sn 0.82 Sb 0.18 O 2 solid solution. A high charge carrier concentration (i.e., electronic conduction) was shown in the FAST‐sintered sample by conductivity measurements and the negative values of the Seebeck coefficient.