Indium Tin Oxide Transparent Conductive Coating
Sometimes a title is all you need… Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) is a transparent conductive coating. Yes, that’s correct: ITO is clear and conducts electricity. Indium Tin Oxide can be applied to glass and plastics, making that particular substrate become electrically conductive, whilst not changing the appearance of it.
What may surprise you is just how often Indium Tin Oxide is used, in all walks of life, with a host of industries utilising the clear and conductive properties on offer.
Where Are Indium Tin Oxide Transparent Conductive Coatings Used?
It could nearly be easier to list where Indium Tin Oxide coatings are not used… If you are reading this on a smartphone or tablet, say ‘Hello ITO’ – your screen may be using ITO to power the touch commands. The glass is coated with a thin film of Indium Tin Oxide, which doesn’t alter the appearance of the screen but provides the device with a pin-point location of your touch on the screen – your touch will alter the level of charge running across the screen.
This level of modern day sorcery is used in further touch screen devices, in a variety of environments, ranging from hospitals to transport and everything in between.
Indium Tin Oxide Transparent Conductive Coatings are also used in smart (Low-E) glass (allowing for a controlled and better regulation of temperatures which reduces heating / AC costs, which in turn reduces the environmental impact) and heated windows (used commonly in aeroplane and helicopter cockpits, trains and even modern day cars).
ITO conductive coatings are also exceptionally useful within the research and development industry, with a notable application being ITO coated glass slides to assist with electron microscopy – using an ITO slide, the need to charge the specimen being examined is removed.
ITO conductive glass is also used in automotive and aerospace industries, as well as space exploration, military instrument usage and defence applications.
Combining the qualities of low electrical resistance and highly visible light transmission, Indium Tin Oxide Transparent Conductive Coatings makes an effective EMI/RFI shield for electronic displays that need enhanced optical properties and moderate shielding effectiveness.
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If you wanted to discuss a specific Indium Tin Oxide Transparent Conductive Coating application or project, we would be happy to hear from you. Please get in touch with us today.
