Preparation and electrical conductivity of three types of antimonic acid films

Three types of antimonic acid (Sb₂O₅ · nH₂O) films, (111)-oriented and nonoriented polycrystalline films of cubic Sb₂O₅ · nH₂O and amorphous Sb₂O₅ · nH₂O films, were prepared on quartz glass substrates with a spin-coating technique using aqueous slurries, which were formed by reacting H₂O₂ with metallic Sb powder or Sb(O-n-C₃H₇)₃. The morphologies and structures of the films were observed, and the electrical conductivity of the films was determined at 20 °C in the relative humidity range 9–100%. The electrical conductivity of the (111)-oriented film, which increases from 1.69 × 10⁻⁵ to 2.89 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ as the relative humidity changes from 11 to 85%, is approximately one order of magnitude larger than those of the nonoriented and amorphous films.