The project PHOTOTCO aims to obtain, through two different methods, transparent conductive oxides (TCO) from new vanadate – borate – phosphate systems (with and without dopants). 
         Boron oxide leads to a significant improvement of the boro-phosphate systems such as chemical durability, good optical quality, high thermal and mechanical stability of the phosphate glasses. The n-type conduction can be easily changed to p-type conduction by changing and/or improving the process parameters, by introducing proper dopants and by changing the proportion and type of glass forming oxides. For instance, substitution of boron with Zn within the structure increased the thermal stability to 82 °C from 63 °C in accordance with the boro-phosphate composition. Transition metal oxides such as WO3, MoO3, and Fe2O3 appear to be versatile materials whose transport properties can be readily tailored by crystallization, thus increasing the conductivity. Vanadium oxides generate special thermo-chrome gels as VO2 („cloud gels”) or electro-chrome materials as V2O5 or VO2. 
        Using sol-gel technique to obtain TCO’s, presents the advantages of lower manufacturing costs compared to other methods of obtaining thin films (MBE, PVD, MOCVD, RF sputtering, PLD), the possibility of varying the chemical composition range and structure of deposited films and thus to obtain different multifunctional features, possibilities of incorporation of cations in the required coordination state and to obtain new materials, inorganic-organic hybrid-type, such as ORMOSIL. This method does not have environmental pollution and health of employee problems. One can obtain thin films on a large area and thicknesses range, having uniform texture and morphology and with good surface flatness.

        The main activities are:
1.1. Obtaining, through ​conventional melt-quenching technique, TCO from new vanadate – borate – phosphate 
        systems with and without dopants
1.2. Structural, morphological, and thermal characterization of the obtained TCO
1.3. Optical characterization of the obtained TCO
1.4. ​Dissemination and management
2.1. Electrical and mechanical characterization of the obtained TCO
2.2. Obtaining TCO thin films from new vanadate – borate – phosphate systems with and without dopants
2.3. Structural, morphological, and thermal characterization of the obtained TCO thin films
2.4. Optical and electrical characterization of the obtained TCO thin films
2.5. Dissemination and management
3.1. Mechanical characterization of the obtained TCO thin films
3.1. Dissemination and management

The budget offered by UEFISCDI is 250 000 lei. 

 The potential impact of the project: 
1. the potential to significantly advance the knowledge in the TCO field, by introducing the proposed new materials and new technics to obtain new TCO as block and thin films which will open a new large area of research in energy, photonics, lasers, optoelectronics domains;  
2. the scientific impact will be mainly on new TCO by using new vanadate-borate-phosphate doped systems, with potential applications in photonics and optoelectronics.  
3. The social and economic impact will be on enhanced cheaper and friendly devices uses with associate benefits and also in new jobs when the devices will be demonstrated and applied, after potential new applicative projects.