In-Depth View of the Structure and Growth of SnO2 Nanowires and Nanobrushes

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• 作者：Erin P. Stuckert ; Roy H. Geiss ; Christopher J. Miller ; Ellen R. Fisher
• 刊名：ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：August 31, 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：8
• 期：34
• 页码：22345-22353
• 全文大小：574K
• 年卷期：0
• ISSN：1944-8252

文摘

Strategic application of an array of complementary imaging and diffraction techniques is critical to determine accurate structural information on nanomaterials, especially when also seeking to elucidate structure–property relationships and their effects on gas sensors. In this work, SnO₂ nanowires and nanobrushes grown via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) displayed the same tetragonal SnO₂ structure as revealed via powder X-ray diffraction bulk crystallinity data. Additional characterization using a range of electron microscopy imaging and diffraction techniques, however, revealed important structure and morphology distinctions between the nanomaterials. Tailoring scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) modes combined with transmission electron backscatter diffraction (t-EBSD) techniques afforded a more detailed view of the SnO₂ nanostructures. Indeed, upon deeper analysis of individual wires and brushes, we discovered that, despite a similar bulk structure, wires and brushes grew with different crystal faces and lattice spacings. Had we not utilized multiple STEM diffraction modes in conjunction with t-EBSD, differences in orientation related to bristle density would have been overlooked. Thus, it is only through a methodical combination of several structural analysis techniques that precise structural information can be reliably obtained.