Influence of Matrix Nature on the Structural Characteristics of In<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>–CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript>–CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Composites Fabricated by the Impregnation Method

The structural characteristics, valence states, and distribution of cerium ions between the components in In₂O₃–CeO₂ and SnO₂–CeO₂ nanocomposites fabricated using the impregnation method were studied. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to show that, during impregnation, cerium ions are not included into In₂O₃ crystals and are disposed only on their surface in the form of nano-sized crystallites or amorphous clusters. On the other side, under the contact of CeO₂ clusters with a surface of SnO₂ matrix crystals, cerium ions penetrate into the surface layer of these crystals. In contrast to an In₂O₃–CeO₂ system, where the addition of CeO₂ does not affect the conduction activation energy, where cerium oxide is added to SnO₂, the observed increase in the resistance of a SnO₂–CeO₂ composite is accompanied by a sufficient increase in activation energy. These data and the XPS spectra confirm the modification of the surface layers of conductive SnO₂ crystals as, a result of the penetration of cerium ions into these layers.     

Synthesis and characterization of single crystalline SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanorods by high-pressure pulsed laser deposition

Tin oxide (SnO₂) nanorods were grown by high-pressure pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The nanorods were grown without the use of a catalyst but required high background pressure growth in order to realize small grain columnar growth and nanorod formation, with nanorod formation most favored on non-epitaxial substrates. The structures and morphology were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). X-ray diffraction and HRTEM analysis indicate that the as-grown SnO₂ nanorods are single crystals with a rutile structure. The nanorods are approximately 50–90 nm in diameters and 1.5 μm in length. This method provides an approach for large area synthesis of one dimensional SnO₂ nanostructure materials. PACS 81.16.Mk; 61.46.-w; 81.07.-b     

Analysis of the imperfection of opal-like photonic crystals synthesized on conducting substrates

The type and degree of imperfection for opal-like photonic crystals on conducting substrates have been investigated using synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering with a microradian resolution. It has been demonstrated that self-assembly of poly(styrene) spheres by the vertical deposition method leads to the formation of a face-centered cubic structure on a mica/Au substrate and a random hexagonal close packing on a glass substrate with the In₂O₃(SnO₂) conducting coating.     

Tin oxide nanocrystals embedded in nanopore arrays on stainless steel surface for photocatalytic applications

The immobilization of SnO₂ nanocrystals on solid substrates for practical photocatalytic applications suffers from poor adhesion that will lead to loss of photocatalytic activity and short service life. An efficient hydrothermal synthesis of SnO₂ nanocrystals embedded in nanopore arrays on stainless steel surface was presented in this paper. The morphology, chemical composition and microstructure of the embedded tin oxide nanocrystals were investigated by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity and stability of SnO₂ nanocrystals was evaluated by photodegradation of methylene blue. SnO₂ nanocrystals embedded in nanopore arrays on stainless steel surface existed in a tetragonal rutile structure. The increasing of the hydrothermal temperature will lead to the improvement in photocatalytic activity of SnO₂ nanocrystals. The SnO₂ nanocrystals prepared at 220 °C performed the highest photocatalytic activity and good photocatalytic stability, indicating the effective immobilization of SnO₂ nanocrystals on anodized stainless steel.     

Facile and surfactant-free synthesis of SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-graphene hybrids as high performance anode for lithium-ion batteries

A facile microwave-assisted ethylene glycol method is developed to synthesize the SnO₂ nanoparticles dispersed on or encapsulated in reduced graphene oxide (SnO₂-rGO) hybrids. The morphology, structure, and composition of SnO₂-rGO are investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, thermo-gravimetric analyzer, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrochemical performance of SnO₂-rGO as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries was tested by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge cycling, and rate capability test. It is found that the SnO₂ nanoparticles with a uniform distribution have p-type doping effect with rGO nanosheets. The as-prepared SnO₂-rGO hybrids exhibit remarkable lithium storage capacity and cycling stability, and the possible mechanism involved is also discussed. Their capacity is 1222 mAhg^?1 in the first cycle and maintains at 700 mAhg^?1 after 100 cycles. This good performance can be mainly attributed to the unique nanostructure, good structure stability, more space for volume expansion of SnO₂, and mass transfer of Li⁺ during cycling.     

Influence of SnO2 coating and thermal annealing on the structure and luminescence properties of CuO nanorods

CuO-core/ SnO₂-shell one-dimensional nanostructures have been fabricated by thermal oxidation of a copper foil and then atomic layer deposition of SnO₂. The structure and optical properties of the nanostructures have been investigated by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis techniques. The nanostructures are found to have the form of nanorods, with the diameter of the CuO cores being in the range from a few tens to a few hundreds of nanometers, the thickness of the SnO₂ shells being ～15 nm, and with a length of a few tens of micrometers. The CuO cores and the SnO₂ shells of the as-synthesized nanorods have crystalline monoclinic CuO and amorphous SnO₂ structures, respectively, but the SnO₂ shells are found to crystallize to tetragonal SnO₂ on thermal annealing. The PL emission intensity of the CuO nanorods has been slightly increased by SnO₂ coating. The PL emission of the SnO₂-coated CuO nanorods is somewhat increased and the emission peak position is red-shifted from 550 to 580 nm by annealing in a reducing atmosphere. On the other hand, the PL emission is significantly increased and the emission peak position is shifted from 550 nm further to around 595 nm by annealing in an oxidative atmosphere. In addition, the origins of the PL enhancements in the nanorods by coating and annealing are discussed.     

Methane-assisted combustion synthesis of nanocomposite tin dioxide materials

Combustion synthesis of tin dioxide (SnO₂) was studied using a new synthesis approach where the combustion environment was augmented to control the temperature and flow conditions using methane as a supplemental fuel. The experiments were carried out at atmospheric pressure using a multi-element diffusion flame burner with a gas-phase precursor for SnO₂ and solid-phase precursor for metal additives. In the methane-assisted (MA) system, the inert carrier gas was replaced with methane as the transport gas for the SnO₂ and metal additive precursors. Two additive precursors were investigated: gold acetate and aluminum acetate. Particle morphology, primary particle size, crystallinity, phase, molecular and elemental composition were studied using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Particle imaging velocimetry and thermocouple measurements provided velocity and temperature data for the synthesis environment experienced by particles. The MA system provided conditions for rapid sintering of particles into large faceted single crystals of SnO₂ (d_p = 46 nm) compared to methane unassisted system (d_p = 19 nm), thus offering a degree of control over grain size. Additionally, large aspect ratio (2.6 ± 0.9) single crystal SnO₂ particles were produced using the MA system. Gold-doped SnO₂ produced using the MA system yielded gold particles encapsulated in a layer of SnO₂. The characteristic reaction-, coagulation- and sintering-times were investigated for nanoparticle formation in the two systems using simplified models. The analysis provided qualitative justification for the trends observed in particle morphology. The modification of characteristic times in this study demonstrates a route for controlling size and morphology of single or multicomponent systems.     

Low-temperature CO gas sensors based on Au/SnO2 thick film

A study on the low-temperature CO gas sensors based on Au/SnO₂ thick film was reported. Au/SnO₂ powders were prepared by a deposition-precipitation method. Thick films were fabricated from Au/SnO₂ powders. X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses were carried out for investigation of morphology and crystalline structure. Au/SnO₂ thick film sensors exhibited high sensitivity to CO gas at relatively low operating temperature (83-210 °C). We also reported the effect of the calcination temperature of Au/SnO₂ on the CO gas sensing behavior. The optimal calcination temperature of Au/SnO₂ was 300 °C.     

p-type conduction in nitrogen-doped SnO2 films grown by thermal processing of tin nitride films

p-type nitrogen-doped SnO₂ (SnO₂:N) films were grown by thermal processing of amorphous tin nitride films at temperatures between 350 and 500?^°C in flowing O₂?CAr gas mixture. From high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction patterns, it is deduced that the N atoms replace the O atoms in the SnO₂ lattice. The N dopant is more tightly bound in SnO₂:N at higher thermal oxidation temperatures deduced from the XPS results. The hole concentration obtained at an oxidation temperature of 400?^°C is 1.87×10¹⁹?cm^?3, which is dramatically enhanced compared to previous reports. Our results indicate that the high-temperature thermal oxidation of tin nitride is a facile and effective route to alleviate the self-compensation effect, reduce the content of ??-N₂ double donors, and reinforce the stability of N dopant in the SnO₂:N films.     

纳米SnO2材料的穆斯堡尔谱研究

通过X射线衍射,透射电子显微镜和穆斯堡尔谱测量,确定了在本研究中用水热法制备的半导体SnO₂材料为纳米材料,实验给出该材料的结构特点和Sn原子核的超精细参量,并发现600℃时纳米的SnO₂会转变成晶态大颗粒的SnO₂。 关键词：     

Hydrothermal synthesis and optical characteristics of Eu in Zn2SnO4 nanocrystals

Zn₂SnO₄:Eu³⁺ nanocrystals were one-step synthesized by hydrothermal method for the first time. All the products were systematically characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron probe X-ray microanalyzer (EPMA), photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescent excitation (PLE). The characteristic peak of Eu³⁺-doped in Zn₂SnO₄ nanocrystals was also detected. The luminescent properties of blank and Eu³⁺-doped Zn₂SnO₄ nanocrystals were reported.     

Synthesis and enhanced acetone gas-sensing performance of ZnSnO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> hollow urchin nanostructures

A kind of novel ZnSnO₃/SnO₂ hollow urchin nanostructure was synthesized by a facile, eco-friendly two-step liquid-phase process. The structure, morphology, and composition of samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and nitrogen adsorption–desorption techniques. The results revealed that many tiny needle-like SnO₂ nanowires with the average diameter of 5 nm uniformly grew on the surface of the ZnSnO₃ hollow microspheres and the ZnSnO₃/SnO₂ hollow urchin nanostructures with different SnO₂ content also were successfully prepared. In order to comprehend the evolution process of the ZnSnO₃/SnO₂ hollow urchin nanostructures, the possible growth mechanism of samples was illustrated via several experiments in different reaction conditions. Moreover, the gas-sensing performance of as-prepared samples was investigated. The results showed that ZnSnO₃/SnO₂ hollow urchin nanostructures with high response to various concentration levels of acetone enhanced selectivity, satisfying repeatability, and good long-term stability for acetone detection. Specially, the 10 wt% ZnSnO₃/SnO₂ hollow urchin nanostructure exhibited the best gas sensitivity (17.03 for 50 ppm acetone) may be a reliable biomarker for the diabetes patients, which could be ascribed to its large specific surface area, complete pore permeability, and increase of chemisorbed oxygen due to the doping of SnO₂.     

Preparation and characterization of nitrogen-incorporated SnO2 films

Nitrogen-incorporated SnO₂ thin films have been grown on Si(100) and quartz substrates by reactive sputtering of a Sn target in gas mixtures of N₂–O₂. The structure of the nitrogen-incorporated SnO₂ thin films was studied by X-ray diffraction, and the changes in the chemical bonds and atomic binding states of the nitrogen-incorporated SnO₂ thin films were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that the binding energy of Sn 3d and O 1s shifts 0.65 eV and 0.35 eV, respectively, toward the lower-energy side after nitrogen was incorporated into the SnO₂ thin films as a comparison with that of pure SnO₂ film. The indirect optical band gap gradually decreases from 3.42 eV to 3.23 eV, i.e. from the UV to the edge of the visible-light range, with increasing nitrogen flux content in the N₂–O₂ gas mixtures. PACS 81.15.Cd; 78.20.-e; 68.37.Xy; 81.05.Je     

Preparation and structural characterization of nanocrystalline SnO2 powders

Nanocrystalline SnO₂ powders have been prepared by solid–liquid reaction and solid-state thermal oxidizing techniques. The microstructures and phase compositions of the product were characterized by thermogravimetry analysis, X-ray diffraction, and the Raman spectrum. It is shown that at least two phases, SnO₂ and SnO_x, coexist at 450 °C. However, only the tetragonal rutile structure SnO₂ phase is detected after the Sn powders were annealed at 550 °C. The Raman peaks of the nanocrystalline SnO₂ powders reveal remarkable red shift and broadening, which could be attributed to the phonon confinement effect, oxygen vacancies, and the stress effect. PACS 81.07.Wx; 81.10.Jt; 78.30.-j     

Single-crystalline Zn2SnO4 hexangular microprisms: Fabrication, characterization and optical properties

Large-scale Zn₂SnO₄ hexangular microprisms were successfully synthesized through a simple thermal evaporation method by heating metal Zn and Sn powders under varying temperatures. The synthesized microprisms are single-crystalline, tens of micrometers in length. And their surfaces have many nano-scale skewed steps along the axial direction. Structurally, we supposed that the hexangular prism could be described as a row of inlaid octahedron of Zn₂SnO₄ crystals. A broad asymmetrical emission band was observed in the PL spectrum of these Zn₂SnO₄ microprisms, which was discussed in detail in the paper.     

Effect of Er3+ doping in SnO2 semiconductor nanoparticles synthesized by solgel technique

Pure and Er³⁺ doped SnO₂ semiconductor nanoparticles have been synthesized by solgel technique. The X-ray diffraction patterns show peaks corresponding to tetragonal structure of SnO₂. No Er related impurity peaks could be observed. From the TEM micrographs average crystallite size was estimated to be 12 nm. The UV–visible absorption spectra of SnO₂:Er showed blue shift in the absorption shoulder compared with the spectra of undoped SnO₂ sample. Photoluminescence emission intensity of SnO₂:Er nanoparticles was found to be quenched with increasing concentration of Er³⁺ ions. The electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis of Er doped SnO₂ nanoparticles indicated Er in 3 + state with g = 2.     

超细SnO2纳米晶粒带边光吸收的线度效应

采用超细过滤方法,分别制备含有平均线度小于2nm的超细SnO₂纳米晶粒的酸性和碱性溶胶溶液.通过动态光散射、X射线衍射和晶粒透射电子显微镜像测量,确定了SnO₂晶粒的线度.对其光吸收谱测量发现,超细过滤后酸性和碱性溶胶溶液中晶粒的带边光吸收能量均有明显蓝移.分析结果表明,SnO₂晶粒的线度减小是同类晶粒带边光吸收蓝移的主要原因. 关键词： 超细纳米晶粒 透射电子显微镜 带边光吸收 表面化学修饰     

SnO2-decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes and Vulcan carbon through a sonochemical approach for supercapacitor applications

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and Vulcan carbon (VC) decorated with SnO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized using a facile and versatile sonochemical procedure. The as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy. It was evidenced that SnO₂ nanoparticles were uniformly distributed on both carbon surfaces, tightly decorating the MWCNTs and VC. The electrochemical performance of the nanocomposites was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling. The as-synthesized SnO₂/MWCNTs nanocomposites show a higher capacity than the SnO₂/VC nanocomposites. Concretely, the SnO₂/MWCNTs electrodes exhibit a specific capacitance of 133.33 F g⁻¹, whereas SnO₂/VC electrodes exhibit a specific capacitance of 112.14 F g⁻¹ measured at 0.5 mA cm⁻² in 1 M Na₂SO₄.     

Porous SnO2 nanoflakes with loose-packed structure: Morphology conserved transformation from SnS2 precursor and application in lithium ion batteries and gas sensors

Porous SnO₂ nanoflakes with loose-packed structure were synthesized by calcination of SnS₂ precursors that were obtained through solvothermal method at low temperature. The as-obtained SnO₂ product had a three-dimensional porous structure with relatively high specific surface area. It was found that the SnO₂ nanoflakes inherited the morphology of precursor while numerous pores were formed after the annealing process. The combined techniques of X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive spectrum, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and (high-resolution) transmission electron microscopy were used for characterization of the as-prepared SnO₂ product. Moreover, the porous SnO₂ nanoflakes with loose-packed structure could be used as gas sensors for detecting ethanol and acted as anode for lithium ion batteries. Our study shows that the as-prepared SnO₂ nanoflakes not only exhibit good response and reversibility to ethanol gas but also display enhanced Li-ion storage capability.     

Large-scale synthesis of rutile SnO2 nanorods

A high yield of tin oxide (SnO₂) nanorods was obtained via annealing a nanoscale precursor in the molten salt flux and surfactant. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction and infrared spectroscopy showed that the nanorods are composed of SnO₂ with rutile structure. The surfactant and temperature have a profound influence on the production of SnO₂ nanorods.