Synthesis and Ethanol Sensing Properties of Novel Hierarchical Sn3O4 Nanoflowers

Abstract

Due to the metastable property and arduous preparation, to control the size and shape of intermediate Sn3O4 nanocrystals to tune functional properties still poses great challenge, and the physical and chemical properties are not fully investigated. Here, we report a simple one-pot template-free hydrothermal route to fabricate Sn3O4 flower-like hierarchical structures self-assembled by aligned high-density nanoslices. In order to explore the growth mechanism, a series of samples with various hydrothermal time were prepared and examined by FESEM and Raman. Results show that the hydrothermal time influences the phases and morphology of the final products. Particularly, a sensor based on these Sn3O4 was implemented to investigate the potential of Sn3O4 for the ethanol detection, revealing that this material reacts to ethanol in a linear way with high response yet at lower temperature (190°C) than that of the well-known SnO2. Also, this intermediate tin oxide with rational control over dimension and morphology provides new opportunities for practical applications in gas sensing towards other reducing gases.