Solvothermal growth of Ti1−xSnxO2 semiconductor nanopowders

Abstract

Ti1−xSnxO2 nanoparticles have been successfully prepared by solvothermal method. Sn (II) chloride dihydrate powder and Ti (IV) chloride liquid were used as Sn and Ti precursors in HCl/HNO3 acid mixture. SEM and EDX analyses showed that the precipitated powders are composed mainly of Ti, Sn and O elements. While the sample treated at 100 °C showed high-intensity chlorine EDX peak, the one treated at 150 °C did not. XRD patterns showed that precipitated powder at 150 °C for different reaction time intervals (6–48 h) were in the form of rutile crystallographic structure. Calculated crystallite size (~1.30 nm) using Scherrer’s formula and Williamson–Hall plot showed that the micro strain effect was very low. UV–Vis spectrometry showed that two absorption peaks could be detected at 3.86 and 3.62 eV, respectively. The obtained results can open the door toward synthesis of other nanocomposite semiconductors at low temperatures without the need of further annealing and with unique properties.