Effects of water/ethanol solvent ratios on the morphology of SnO2 nanorods

Abstract

We varied the fraction of water/ethanol ratios in the solvents to control the sizes of SnO₂ nanorods prepared by the hydrothermal method. The nanorods obtained had a controlled diameter of 3.2–4.3 nm and a length of 9.8–10.5 nm. XRD, TEM, and BET were applied to measure the crystalline size, morphology, and surface area of the synthesized SnO₂ nanorods. The SnO₂ nanorods with 1D structure and high surface area-to-volume ratio were applied for photocatalytic applications. The sizes of nanorods were found to be critical to their photocatalytic properties. While the nanorods’ morphology changed, and the diameter decreased from 4.3 to 3.2 nm, the apparent photocatalytic rate constant increased from 0.0097 to 0.0352/min⁻¹. This work presents an approach for modulation of the sizes and morphology of SnO₂ nanorods that can significantly influence their surface and electronic properties. The sizes and morphology modulation of SnO₂ nanorods may also be applied to sensors, photovoltaic cells, and optoelectronic devices.