Recovery and Reuse of Spent ITO Targets through Electrochemical Techniques

Abstract

Indium is a strategically scarce metal with excellent conductivity and light transmittance that is widely used to prepare ITO targets. In this work, an electrolysis method was exploited to recover and reuse spent ITO (s-ITO) targets to provide a novel way to recycle valuable resources. The electrochemical behaviors of indium tin oxide were studied first by cyclic voltammetry in CaCl2 at 850℃. A reduction peak corresponding to the simultaneous reduction of indium tin oxide was found at −0.5 V vs. Pt. Then, indium-tin alloy was recovered by electrolysis of s-ITO particles in CaCl2 at −2.8 V and 850℃. The mass ratio of In and Sn in the alloy obtained by electrolysis is almost the same as that in the initial s-ITO before electrolysis. In addition, oxide composite powders were obtained by electrolysis of the alloy in NH4Cl aqueous solution, which can be used to synthesize ITO targets. The particle size of the composite powders was between 20 nm and 60 nm, and the distribution of each element was uniform.

A Review on the Recovery and Separation of Gallium and Indium from Waste

“…The method of recovery and reuse of spent ITO waste through electrochemical techniques has also been described in the publication [100]. An indium-tin alloy can be prepared via electrolytic reduction of the s-ITO target in a molten CaCl 2 at 850 • C. Then, hydroxides can be synthesized via electrolysis of an In-Sn alloy in an aqueous ammonium chloride solution.…”

Size-Optimized Silver Nanowires with Graphene Oxide for High-Performance Transparent Electrodes

“…Transparent electrode is one of the critical components for the modern electronic manufacture industry, being found in various electronic products such as touch panels, solar cells, light-emitting diodes and sensors et al [1][2][3][4] However, the functionality explosion of electronic products in recent year sets higher requirements for the transparent electrode. For example, the flexible and elastic transparent electrodes are being developed, [5][6][7][8] making the traditional fragile indium tin oxide film (ITO) to be replaced in urgent need. 9,10 Exploring new materials for preparing high-performance flexible transparent electrode is of high importance.…”