Metal to insulator transition in Sb doped SnO2 monocrystalline nanowires thin films

We report on the growth and transport properties of single crystalline Sb doped SnO2 wires grown from chemical vapour deposition. While undoped samples presented semiconducting behaviour, doped ones clearly undergo a transition from an insulating state (dR/dT < 0) to a metallic one (dR/dT > 0) around 130-150 K depending on the doping level. Data analysis in the framework of the metal-to-insulator transition theories allowed us to investigate the underlying physics: electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions were identified as the scattering mechanisms present in the metallic phase, while the conduction mechanism of the semiconducting phase (undoped sample) was characterized by thermal activation and variable range hopping mechanisms. Published by AIP Publishing.