Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) are proposed in this study as effective dispersants for the dispersion of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) nanopowder with high solid content in an organic solvent, ethylene glycol (EG). It is found that an addition of as little as 1 wt% of PVA and PVP is sufficient for the stabilization of nano-AZO. However, with excessive levels of solid content and addition of dispersant, PVA loses its dispersion efficiency; this is because PVA tends to gel with EG through the interaction of hydrogen bonding. Rheological analysis and theoretical calculations based on Stokes' law and Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory suggest that the viscosity contribution from the added dispersants is the dominant stabilization mechanism for the dispersion of nano-AZO with a high solid content, such as 40 wt%, in EG. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.