Controlled synthesis of V-shaped SnO 2 nanorods

Abstract

This report details the preparation of V-shaped SnO 2 nanorods with an angle of 112.1° between the arms. The nanorods were produced by heating 1,10 phenanthroline (phen)-capped Sn nanoparticles (2-5 nm) in a NaCl flux. The use of both phen and NaCl flux were indispensable in forming long V-shaped structures. XRD, SEM, TEM, and HRTEM charaterizations of the nanorods confirmed that the rods were crystalline SnO 2 with a twin structure (twin plane of (101) and twin direction of [101̄]) at the V-junction. The diameters of the nanorods were nearly monodispersed with mean values of 48.4 and 13.2 nm depending on the synthesis conditions.