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The present study involves fabrication and photovoltaic characterization including impedance properties of dye-sensitized solar cells based on natural dye from beetroot. The electrode of the cell was prepared with commercial Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide glass with 100 μm layer of nanostructured TiO2 whereas, the counter electrode consisted of platinum-coated glass. Fresh juice was extracted from beetroot to use as dye. The dye exhibited high absorption in visible range. Photovoltaic measurements of the solar cell gave a short circuit current density (Jsc) of 130 μA/cm2 and an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.38 V under AM 1.5 illumination intensity. The VOC and Jsc showed linear behavior at higher values of illumination intensities. The conductance-voltage, the capacitance-voltage and the series resistance voltage characteristics of the dye solar cell was measured at frequency range from 5 kHz to 5 MHz to study performance of the dye-sensitized solar cells with natural dyes.

Highly transparent and super-wettable nanocoatings for multifunctional applications with outstanding physical properties are in high demanded. However, such nanocoatings resistant to water invasion and Ultraviolet (UV) weathering remain a significant challenge. In this work, physically durable coatings based on inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) and an organic segment (isocyanate-silane modified surfactant) have been synthesized via a sol-gel approach. It is noteworthy the isocyanate-silane with –NH–C O- functional group creates a strong bonding between the highly hydrophilic surfactant and the inorganic NPs. This in-house synthesized organic segment can render the coating long-lasting wetting properties and resist to be washed away by water, while the inorganic NPs can form sturdy covalent bonds with the nano-scale hierarchical structure on the glazing substrate to improve the durability. This nanocoating demonstrates high transparency with superwetting property (water contact angle, WCA ​= ​4.4 ​± ​0.3°), effective de-frosting performance. Water invasion or UV accelerated weathering tests do not significantly affect the self-cleaning performance of nanocoating. Physical properties, including coating adhesion, hardness, Young's modulus, and abrasion resistance are systematically investigated. Interestingly, this clear coating shows prominent infrared shielding property attributed to Antimony-doped tin oxide (Sb-doped SnO2) NPs. The developed nanocoating process is easy to scale up for larger areas that require multipurpose self-cleaning functions.

Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) is an appealing semiconductor as light absorber for solar cells due to its high absorption coefficient, appropriate band gap (~1.7 eV) and abundance of constituent elements. However, power conversion efficiency (PCE) of Sb2S3-based solar cells still lags much behind the theoretically predicted due to the imperfect energy level alignment at the charge transporting layer/Sb2S3 interfaces and hence severe charge recombination. Herein, we insert a high-temperature sintered magnesium (Mg)-doped tin oxide (SnO2) layer between cadmium sulfide (CdS) and fluorine doped tin oxide to form a cascaded energy level alignment and thus mitigate interfacial charge recombination. Simultaneously, the inserted Mg-doped SnO2 buffer layer facilitates the growth of the neibouring CdS film with orientation followed by Sb2S3 film with larger grains and fewer pinholes. Consequently, the resultant Sb2S3 solar cells with Mg-doped SnO2 deliver a champion PCE of 6.31%, 22.8% higher than those without a buffer layer. Our work demonstrates that deliberate absorber growth as well as efficient hole blocking upon an appropriate buffer layer is viable in obtaining solution-processed Sb2S3 solar cells with high performance.

Thin film of WO3 has been deposited on conductive fluorine tin oxide substrate using the hydrothermal technique. The film's microstructural, morphological and optical properties have been identified using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope, and spectrophotometer. The obtained results have confirmed the nanocrystalline structure of the as-received WO3 thin film with crystallite size ≈63.4 nm. Analysis of the absorption coefficient using Tauc's model shows the possibility of direct and/or indirect allowed transition with energy gaps 3.95 and/or 3.45 eV, respectively. The refractive index has been determined by different methods showing the average value (2.2 and 2.3 corresponding to the direct and indirect transitions, respectively). The nonlinear refractive index and third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility have been determined, showing the high polarizability of WO3/FTO with radiation to be promising for different optical devices and applications.

Electron transport layer (ETL) is very critical to the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), and optimization work on ETL has received extensive attentions especially on tin oxide (SnO2) since it is an excellent ETL material widely applied in high-efficiency PSCs. Thereinto, introducing mesoporous structure and surface modification are two important approaches which are commonly applied. Herein, based on the previous work in low-temperature fabrication process of mesoporous SnO2 (m-SnO2), we introduced a modification process with rubidium fluoride (RbF) to the m-SnO2 ETL, and successfully achieved a synergy of the m-SnO2 and RbF modification: not only the shortcoming of the m-SnO2 in interfacial traps was overcome, but also the carrier collection efficiency was further improved. The PSCs based on the m-SnO2 ETL with RbF modification demonstrated outstanding performances: a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.72% and a stability performance of maintaining 90% of the initial PCE after 300 h of MPP tracking were obtained without surface passivation of perovskite film. Hence, utilizing the abovementioned synergy is a cost-effective and feasible strategy for fabricating high-efficiency and stable PSCs since the fabrication process of the m-SnO2 ETL is a kind of low temperature process and RbF is cheap.

Recently, oxide-based materials have proven to be potential thermoelectric materials at high temperatures. In this work, the thermoelectric properties of one-step solid-state sintered Sn1-xSbxO2 (x = 0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04) ceramic pellets were investigated in detail. It was confirmed that the addition of Sb significantly alters the thermoelectric properties of SnO2 due to the increase in the carrier concentration, which increases the electrical conductivity. The Seebeck coefficient values of all the solid solutions were negative, which indicates that these samples have n-type conduction. The thermoelectric performance of the material was evaluated by determining the zT value and the best composition was Sn0·98Sb0·02O2 with zT ∼0.06 at 1073 K.

In this work, a rapid coprecipitation reaction is developed to obtain nano-sized Zn-doped tin oxide samples (Zn-SnO-II or Zn-SnO2-IV) for the first time by simply mixing tin ion (Sn2+ or Sn4+) and zinc ion (Zn2+) containing salts in a mild aqueous condition. Characterization results illustrate the Zn-SnO-II sample is constituted by an overwhelming quantity of Zn-doped SnO nanobelts and a small quantity of Zn-doped SnO2 nanoparticles. The redox reaction between the Sn2+ ions from the Zn-SnO-II sample and the surface oxygen-containing functional groups from functionalized carbon nanotube (F-CNT) and graphene oxide (GO) leads to the formation of the final Zn-SnO2/CNT@RGO composites. As an anode active material for lithium-ion batteries, the Zn-SnO2/CNT@RGO product showed superior electrochemical performance than the controlled Zn-SnO2/CNT and Zn-SnO2/RGO samples, which had a high gravimetric capacity of 901.3 mAh·g−1 at a high charge and discharge current of 1000 mA·g−1 after 300 cycles and excellent rate capability. The reaction mechanism for the successful synthesis of the Zn-doped tin oxide samples has been proposed, and the insight into the outstanding lithium-ion storage performance for the Zn-SnO2/CNT@RGO composite has been revealed. The synthetic processes for both the Zn-doped tin oxides and derived carbon supported composites are straightforward and involve no harsh conditions nor complicated treatment, which have good potential for massive production and application in wider fields.

Stannous chloride and thiourea are used as source materials to prepare SnO2 quantum dots in the aqueous solution by a facile hydrolysis-oxidation process. The quantum dots have an average size of 1.9 nm with good dispersibility as well as long-term stability, and are validated to be an effective photocatalyst for the degradation of organic oil pollutants in contaminated water. The pollutant is removed by the quantum dots exposed to ultraviolet-visible irradiation at room temperature. The optimized condition is concluded to be a solution with quantum dot concentration of 10-3 mol/L and the degradation speed reaches the maximum at the 12 th hour after irradiation. After 48 hours, 91.9 % of octane is removed, concluding a high degradation efficiency. The prepared SnO2 quantum dots are potentially applicable in the remediation of marine environment as they hold the advantages of high efficiency, low cost and being environmental-friendly. The promotion and inhibition mechanisms of the photocatalytic SnO2 QDs at low and high concentrations are discussed.

This paper describes the synthesis of La-doped SnO2 nanoparticles for resistive-type relative humidity sensors. The structural characterization of synthesized SnO2 nanoparticles was analyzed using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), that exhibited the formation of the tetragonal rutile structure of pristine and La-doped SnO2 nanoparticles with a decrease in crystallite size in presence of different doping levels. Further increase in doping concentration (at 5 M%) revealed the formation of the La2O3 phase due to the excess amount of lanthanum. The UV–Vis spectroscopy indicates the doping of lanthanum (La) improves the optical property of pristine SnO2. The morphological characterization demonstrates the spherical-shaped nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles were tested for relative humidity (RH) sensing application over the range of 10–100% RH at room temperature. The doping of 3 M% La-doped SnO2 shows good sensitivity (95%) than pristine SnO2 nanoparticles. The fabricated 3 M% La-doped SnO2 sensor not only showed better sensitivity and linear range over 10–100%RH, but also exhibited rapid response (8sec) and recovery (13sec) time than the pristine and the others La-doped levels of SnO2 nanoparticles. This better humidity sensing response of 3 M% La-doped nanoparticles was achieved due to high carrier density and small crystallite size. This indicates 3 M% La-doped nanoparticles is a promising material for room temperature humidity sensing.

In this study, highly pure rutileTiO2 nanorods (NRs) structures were grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates by using a one-step hydrothermal method. The effect of the growth time on the structure and surface properties of the obtained products has been studied. The X-ray diffraction analysis and the Raman spectroscopy indicated that the films were single-crystalline rutile phase. At lower hydrothermal time, TiO2 NRs singly distributed with small diameter are found showing a high contact angle with ethylene glycol. When the hydrothermal reaction increases, nanoflowers (NFs) with a large diameter are formed over the TiO2 NRs leading to superhydrophilic surfaces. These nanostructured thin films can be tailored to the requirements of specific applications involving water and ethylene glycol.

Tin oxide is an impressive metal oxide for optoelectronic applications and its properties can be easily augmented with doping. In current research work, undoped and zinc-doped SnO2 nanoparticles annealed at 500 °C were prepared by a solid-state reaction method. The rutile tetragonal structure for undoped and zinc-doped SnO2 nanoparticles was proved by the analysis of their x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images confirm the spherical, smooth, and dense morphology. The presence of Sn, O, and Zn ions are supported by energy dispersive x-ray study (EDX). The transmission spectrum obtained by UV–Visible spectroscopy shows a blue shift and the energy band gap (Eg) for undoped and zinc-doped SnO2 nanoparticles changes from 3.03 to 3.18 eV. Photoluminiscence (PL) spectra of synthesized samples shows one emission peak at 430 nm whose intensity increases with zinc-doping. The electrical resistivity was studied by Hall-effect measurement and it revealed that the resistivity decreases with zinc doping.

In this work, CuO nanoparticles (NPs) decorated zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate has been used as a working electrode. This working electrode has been used as an extended gate for field-effect transistor. The main objective is to use the EGFET (extended gate field effect transistor) as a glucose sensor. The proposed glucose sensor has good sensitivity of 6.643 mV/mM with a wide range of linearity (1mM-8mM) which covers the glucose level of human blood ranging from 4.4 mM to 6.6 mM. This novel concept of the glucose sensing using CuO NPs decorated ZnO nanorods based EGFET may be explored for sensing other saccharides such as mannose, fructose, and sucrose. This vertically grown ZnO nanorods decorated with CuO NPs based electrode gives reliable selectivity, good repeatability, and more stability. The performance of proposed sensor is also compared with commercially available glucose sensors. The sensitivity performance of the glucose sensor also confirms the capability to detect the glucose level from human blood and serum.

Nanostructured tin oxide (SnO2) is a very promising electron transport layer (ETL) for perovskite solar cells (PSCs) that allows low-temperature processing in the planar n–i–p architecture. However, minimizing current–voltage (J–V) hysteresis and optimizing charge extraction for PSCs in this architecture remains a challenge. In response to this, we study and optimize different types of single- and bilayer SnO2 ETLs. Detailed characterization of the optoelectronic properties reveals that a bilayer ETL composed of lithium (Li)-doped compact SnO2 (c(Li)-SnO2) at the bottom and potassium-capped SnO2 nanoparticle layers (NP-SnO2) at the top enhances the electron extraction and charge transport properties of PSCs and reduces the degree of ion migration. This results in an improved PCE and a strongly reduced J–V hysteresis for PSCs with a bilayer c(Li)-NP-SnO2 ETL as compared to reference PSCs with a single-layer or undoped bilayer ETL. The champion PSC with c(Li)-NP-SnO2 ETL shows a high stabilized PCE of up to 18.5% compared to 15.7%, 12.5% and 16.3% for PSCs with c-SnO2, c(Li)-SnO2 and c-NP-SnO2 as ETL, respectively.

In the present work, the organic/ inorganic core/shell nanocomposite was prepared by facile chemical polymerization. The core Tin Oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles were prepared by a simple chemical route. The shell material Polypyrrole (PPy) was synthesized by the chemical polymerization method. In this technique, calculated amount of as prepared core materials were added to the monomer. Then ammonium persulphate added to the solution as an oxidant. Thus the SnO2/Polypyrrole core/shell nanocomposite formed. All the synthesis process maintained at low temperature bath to increase the conductivity of the samples. XRD studies reveal that the average grain size of SnO2 and SnO2/PPy was 25 nm and 29 nm respectively using Scherrer formula. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy studies confirmed the presence of polypyrrole and metal oxide SnO2. Optical band gap energies were calculated using UV–Visible spectroscopy. Absorbance of core materials was 301 nm. When the core coated by the shell polypyrrole the absorbance gets increased to 312 nm. Optical band gap of the core and core/shell materials were 3.709 eV and 3.36 eV respectively. AFM studies gave the morphological view of the samples. TEM confirms the core/shell structure.

SnO2 is an n-type semiconductor and a transparent conducting oxide and has apt properties in a gas sensing material, photovoltaic cells, fuel cells, batteries etc., Nanocrystalline tin oxide (SnO2) powders with different grain sizes were prepared by chemical co-precipitation method. Synthesised nanopowder XRD data were analyzed with different tools. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis mainly used to determine the crystal structure of nanomaterials such as ZnO, CuO, CdO and SnO2, etc., Pure SnO2 test conditions were set to be Cu-Kα XRD source, accelerating voltage 40 kV, acceleration currency 40 mA, scan range 20–80° with Ni filter (λ = 0.154056 nm). The pure SnO2 sample was exhibiting different crystalline peaks from the powder XRD study. The diffraction peak of pure tin oxide nanoparticles possesses a tetragonal rutile structure with space group P42/mnm. The FULLPROF Suite program was used for Rietveld–type analysis for pure SnO2powder diffraction data. The resultant data were compared with Nelson-Riley, Williamson-Hall plot, and Debye-Scherer methods. The lattice parameters and particle size of pure SnO2were agreed with the ICDD.No.01-077-0447data. The main advantages of these methods are low angle regions and a small number of peaks needed.

This paper focuses on the structure of Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) engineered using Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nano-particles sensitized by extract from leaves of Wrightia tinctoria (Roxb.) R. Br. TiO2 thin films are screen printed over flexible Cu foil which serves as the back contact for the device structure. Fluorine doped Tin Oxide (FTO) grown over glass substrate using chemical spray pyrolysis technique is used as the front electrode with KOH as the electrolyte. The optical characterization of the dye is conducted using optical absorption and emission spectroscopic studies. A DSSC of the configuration (Cu|TiO2|Dye(danthapala)|KOH(Electrolyte)|FTO) was engineered. The electrical parameters of the engineered Dye Sensitized Solar Cells were characterized. The two-diode model was used to extract the series and shunt resistance, saturation current and diode ideality factor for the device from the room temperature current–voltage characteristics.

Copper (II) oxide (CuO) nanostructures were prepared on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) using a three-step heat treatment process in a sol–gel dip-coating method. The precursor used for the dip-coating process was prepared using copper acetate, propan-2-ol, diethanolamine, and polyethylene glycol 400. Dip-coated films in layers of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 were prepared by drying each layer at 110 and 250 °C for 10 and 5 min, respectively, followed by calcination at 550 °C for 1 h. The films were applied toward photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the films confirmed the tenorite phase of pure CuO. Raman spectroscopy revealed the 1Ag and 2Bg phonon modes of CuO, confirming the high purity of the films produced. The CuO films absorb significant photons in the visible spectrum due to their low optical band gap of 1.25–1.33 eV. The highest photocurrent of −2.0 mA/cm2 at 0.45 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) was recorded for CuO films consisting of six layers under 1 sun illumination. A more porous surface, low charge transfer resistance, and high double-layer capacitance at the CuO/electrolyte interface observed for the films consisting of six layers contributed to the high photocurrent density attained by the films. CuO films consisting of six layers prepared using the conventional two-step heat treatment process for comparative purposes yielded 65.0% less photocurrent at 0.45 V vs RHE compared to similar films fabricated via the three-step heating method. The photocurrent response of the CuO nanostructures prepared using the three-step heat treatment process is promising and can be employed for making CuO for photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications.

Polypyrrole (PPy)-coated tin oxide and silica oxide composite nanomaterials are synthesized by hydrothermal method and electrochemical in situ polymerization. Herein, the effect of PPy contents on the structure and properties of PPy/SnO2@SiO2 nanocomposites is investigated. With the increase of the pyrrole monomer content, the thickness of the cladding layer of PPy/SnO2@SiO2 core–shell structure increases gradually. And the results indicate that the sample containing 28 wt% PPy exhibits the stable structure of composite and high initial capacity. Moreover, the first discharge capacity reaches 3750 mAh g−1 and its specific capacity can still maintain 676 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles. Owing to this core–shell structure nanomaterial which provides more stable intercalation–deintercalation of lithium channels and sites, PPy coating can inhibit the volumetric expansion of the SnO2 nanospheres (NPs) electrode effectively. Consideration of the remarkable performance and high initial capacity, PPy/SnO2@SiO2 composite is of keen interest for a potential lithium ion battery anode material.

Due to the dominance of non-densifying sintering mechanisms (surface diffusion and evaporation condensation) pure tin oxide ceramics exhibit unusual sintering behavior that allows sintering without shrinkage, i.e. without changes in porosity. It is therefore ideally suited for fundamental studies. In this paper we study the crystallite size and its changes as a function of temperature and dwell time via X-ray diffraction (XRD) line broadening. It is shown that, although the contribution of microstrain broadening is negligibly small, the difference between the different evaluation methods (Scherrer equation, Williamson-Hall plots, Halder-Wagner plot) is quite large. Nevertheless similar qualitative conclusions can be drawn irrespective of the specific evaluation method used (although Halder-Wagner analysis is most reasonable). Significant crystallite growth can be expected for pure tin oxide ceramics from nanosized powders only at temperatures above 1000 °C. Prolonging the dwell times beyond 3 h does not affect the crystallite size to any significant degree.

Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells (PSTSCs) have exhibited huge technological potential for breaking the Shockley-Queisser limit of single-junction solar cells. The efficiency of P-I-N type PSTSCs has surpassed the single-junction limit, while the performance of N-I-P type PSTSCs is far below the theoretical value. Here, we developed a composite electron transport layer for N-I-P type monolithic PSTSCs with enhanced open-circuit voltage (VOC) and power conversion efficiency (PCE). Lithium chloride (LiCl) was added into the tin oxide (SnO2) precursor solution, which simultaneously passivated the defects and increased the electron injection driving force at the electron transfer layer (ETL)/perovskite interface. Eventually, we achieved monolithic PSTSCs with an efficiency of 25.42% and VOC of 1.92 V, which is the highest PCE and VOC in N-I-P type perovskite/Si tandem devices. This work on interface engineering for improving the PCE of monolithic PSTSCs may bring a new hot point about perovskite-based tandem devices.

A composite consisting of Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO), Tin Oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles and Polyaniline (PANI) conducting polymer was studied as a potential counter electrode material for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs). This RGO/SnO2/PANI composite CE was fabricated by spray method and used as an alternative to Platinum (Pt) counter electrode (CE). In the fabrication of RGO/SnO2/PANI composite CEs, several optimizations were carried out to obtain the optimum RGO sintering temperature and the optimum amounts of RGO, SnO2 and PANI. The photovoltaic performance of the DSSCs based on the newly prepared CEs was studied by using I-V measurements. The efficiency of the DSSC with the CE with optimized RGO/SnO2/PANI composition having 9.8 μm thickness was 7.92% under the 100 mW cm−2 (1.5AM) light illumination. After the TiCl4 treated TiO2 photoanode was used, the maximum power conversion efficiency of the DSSC based on the RGO/SnO2/PANI composite CE was increased to 8.68%, which corresponds to an impressive 94% of the efficiency of 9.22% obtained for the control DSSC made with Pt CE and TiCl4 treated photoanode measured under same light illumination. These composite CEs were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, FTIR spectra, SEM and TEM. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) analysis showed the excellent electro-catalytic activity of the composite CE. With high energy conversion efficiency and improved charge-transfer process of DSSCs in combination with simple preparation and relatively low-cost technique, the RGO/SnO2/PANI composite electrode demonstrates the beneficial use of this novel composite material as CEs in DSSCs.

Background Tin oxide (SnO2) has attracted numerous interests as anode for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its high theoretical specific capacity of 782 mAh/g. But the poor conductivity and rapid capacity fading during the electrochemical cycling due to the huge volume variation limit its practical application. Methods Ultra-fine SnO2 nanoparticles were anchored onto polypyrrole nanotubes (T-PPy) as clusters via a facile hydro-thermal reaction. Their ultra-fine size is beneficial to the volumetric change alleviation, while the clusters would increase the loading amount of the active materials and maintain a high specific surface area. Significant findings The hierarchically porous (T-PPy)@SnO2 hybrid were obtained with high SnO2 content around 70% and large specific surface area of 128.82 m2/g. They could deliver a high specific capacity of 605.0 mAh/g after 300 cycles at a current density of 1.0 C (782 mA/g), presenting an excellent cycling performance, and a discharge capacity of 422.2 mAh/g at 2.0 C, exhibiting a good rate capability.

Heteroepitaxial growth of rutile TiO2 nanorods from SnO2 seeds yielded radial heteromesocrystals consisting of SnO2(head) and rutile TiO2 nanorod(tail) with the SnO2(head) oriented toward the center (TiO2-NR//SnO2 HEMCs). Iron oxide clusters were formed on the surface by the chemisorption-calcination technique. The FeOx-surface modification gives rise to drastic increases in the photocatalytic activity for aerobic oxidation of 2-naphthol under irradiation of UV and visible light. As a 2D-model for 3D-TiO2-NR//SnO2 HEMC, electrochemical measurements were performed for the rutile TiO2-NR array formed on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO2:F) electrode. The results showed that the FeOx clusters possess electrocatalytic activity for a multielectron oxygen reduction reaction, and the high photocurrent of the electrode is remarkably reduced by the FeOx-surface modification. Consequently, the striking photocatalytic activity of FeOx/TiO2-NR//SnO2 HEMCs was ascribable to the switching of the electron transport direction necessary for the charge separation from the long axis of the TiO2 NR to the short axis.

Lead tin sulphide (Pb-Sn-S) thin films (TFs) were deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates via the electrochemical deposition process using lead (II) nitrate [Pb(NO3)2], tin (II) chloride dehydrate [SnCl2.2H2O] and thiacetamide [C2H5NS] precursors as sources of lead (Pb), tin (Sn) and sulphur (S). The solution of all the compounds was harmonized with a stirrer (magnetic) at 300k. In this study, we reported on the improvements in the properties (structural and optical) of Pb-Sn-S TFs by varying the deposition time. We observed from X-ray diffractometer (XRD) that the prepared material is polycrystalline in nature. UV-Vis measurements were done for the optical characterizations and the band gap values were seen to be increasing from 1.52 to 1.54 eV with deposition time. In addition to this, the absorption coefficient and refractive index were also estimated and discussed.

Some of the physical properties were studied, which included the optical properties of the films of pure tin dioxide doped with nickel in proportions (1,5,7%) at a molar concentration of 0.1moL/L, which were prepared by thermal chemical deposition method on glass bases at a temperature of (400ºC). The study included the optical properties through the transmittance spectrum (T) of the films of pure tin dioxide doped with banned nickel in the range of wavelengths (300-900). It was noticed that the transmittance of pure tin dioxide films is high, ranging between (82-76) % approximately in the visible region, as we have noticed that by using doping, the permeability of oxide films decreases in succession, and the reflectivity increases with the increase in the percentage of doping gradually and that the refractive index increases with the increase in the energy of the photon. The rest of the optical constants were calculated as functions of the photon's energy that smells (refractive index).

A facile and sensitive approach is introduced to precisely determine trace amounts of prostate specific antigen (PSA) by gold nanostructures deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) electrodes. The gold electrode fabrication is carried out by integration of two techniques of vacuum-deposition and electrochemical growth. The electrode was successfully used as a label-free immunosensor for PSA determination in human serum samples. The dependency of the biosensor performance on various fabrication parameters have been investigated and the optimized fabrication rout has been specified. This label-free immunosensor presents a noticeable performance with a large range of linearity from 0.05 to 30 ng/mL, a low detection limit of 5.7 pg/mL, and a long-term stability of 4 weeks. The obtained results for PSA determination in real samples show a good agreement with ELISA results with less than 10% deviation.

Tin oxide (SnO2) has been regarded as a promising anode candidate compared to commercial graphite in lithium-ion batteries. However, it usually suffers from high irreversibility of the conversion r...

Designing efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial to enhance the energy efficiencies of metal-air batteries and fuel cells. Palladium (Pd) catalysts show great potential due to their high intrinsic activity towards ORR but suffer from inferior durability. Here, we aim to employ tin oxide (SnO2) supports to tailor the lattice strain and electron density of Pd catalysts to enhance their ORR performance. By using electrospinning and solvothermal techniques, a hierarchical Pd/SnO2 hybrid catalyst was facilely synthesized with Pd nanoparticles anchored onto both the inside and outside walls of nanotube-like SnO2 supports. Owing to the SnO2 supports and the endowing metal-support interactions, tensile-strain and electron-rich features were both verified for the Pd nanoparticles in the Pd/SnO2 catalyst. In comparison, no such features were found for the Pd nanoparticles in the Pd/C catalyst. As a consequence, the Pd/SnO2 hybrid catalyst exhibits 2.5-times higher mass activity than the Pd/C catalyst and greatly improved durability with a current decay of 4% loss over 50 h compared with that (18%) of the Pd/C catalyst.

Tin oxide (TO), F-doped SnO2 (FTO), and Eu/F-codoped SnO2 (EFTO) films were deposited by spray pyrolysis. Additionally, for the DFT calculations, different superstructures were considered as models for TO (SnO2), FTO (Sn36O71F), and EFTO (EuSn35O70F2). Electrical and optical measurements showed that the EFTO films maintain the characteristics of a transparent conducting oxide (TCOs), i.e., high optical transparency and low electrical resistivity (ρ). The plasma wavelength for EFTO thin films was red-shifted when compared to FTO, which is related to the diminishing of free electron density (ne) and the increase of ρ; such effects were promoted by the incorporation of Eu impurities which act as electron acceptors. Photoluminescence (PL) studies revealed that the EFTO films did not show electronic transitions related to Eu states in the visible part of the spectra (vis). On the other hand, the DFT calculations confirmed the experimental results related to the incorporation of Eu/F impurities in TO, such as cell expansion, the creation of direct bandgap TCOs, the appearance of the Burstein-Moss effect, the absence of emission lines in the vis, and the diminishing of ne due to the presence of Eu acceptor states.

In this paper different Indium Tin Oxide (ITO)-based ethanol vapor sensors (fabricated as thin films and nanoparticles) are presented, and their structural and sensing properties are investigated. An Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD)-Enhanced method is proposed for the fabrication of pure, and Ag-decorated indium tin oxide sensors. The proposed sensors are then compared to conventional indium tin oxide sensors fabricated by sputtering (thin film), and drop-casting method in terms of response, and working temperature. It is shown that the electrophoretic deposition method has decreased the final particle size of the indium tin oxide nanoparticles by limiting the agglomeration of nanoparticles, and increased the sparsity of the particles forming the sensing material. Results suggest that compared to the conventional sensors, the sensors fabricated by the proposed electrophoretic deposition method (i.e., the pure-indium tin oxide (EPD-TF), and the Ag-decorated indium tin oxide (Ag-EPD) sensors), has considerably better performance for the detection of the ethanol vapors, showing reduced working temperature (110 and 130 °C, respectively), higher response, and better selectivity over CO, methane, methanol, and acetone. Moreover, the response and recovery time of the proposed sensors were found to be lower than most of the previously reported indium tin oxide-based ethanol sensors, approving the positive effect of the electrophoretic method as a simple, controllable method for sensor fabrication.

The practical applications of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are limited by further improvement of their stability and performance. Additive engineering and interface engineering are promising medicine to cure this stubborn disease. Herein, an alkali metal fluoride as an additive is introduced into the tin oxide (SnO2) electron transport layer (ETL). The formation of coordination bonds of F- ions with the oxygen vacancy of Sn4+ ions decreases the trap-state density and improves the electron mobility; the hydrogen bond interaction between the F ion and amine group (FA+) of perovskite inhibits the diffusion of organic cations and promotes perovskite (PVK) stability. Meanwhile, the alkali metal ions (K+, Rb+, and Cs+) permeated into PVK fill the organic cation vacancies and ameliorate the crystal quality of PVK films. Consequently, a SnO2-based planar PSC exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.24%, while the PSC modified by CsF achieves a PCE of 22.51%, accompanied by effective enhancement of stability and negligible hysteresis. The research results provide a typical example for low-cost and multifunctional additives in high-performance PSCs.

In the present work, it has been directly prepared the polyaniline-MnO2-grapheneternary composite film onto fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrate (FTO/PANI-MnO2-GR). The film in question were obtained through electropolymerization of aniline with manganese dioxide electrodeposition, both occurring at once under the same imposed potential 1.2 V vs. SCE. The electropolymerization process is first performed with the presence of dispersed graphene (2 mg) in 0.1 M aniline, 25 mM, or 75 mM of manganese sulfate, 0.1 M Na2SO4, and 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte solution. The carried out work primarily aims to build a new ternary composite film in directly combining mono dimensional coated MnO2 conducting polyaniline PANI with bi-dimensional graphene sheets. The targeted work is plainly justified by the fact that ternary composites compared to individual components such as supercapacitor electrode materials are endowed with much more high electrochemical capacitance. The process is separately conducted without and with dispersed graphene and its electrolyte solution. The electrochemically synthesized graphene sheets are incorporated under low agitation. The specific capacitance is computed by mean of cyclic voltammetry (CV) technic under 5 m Vs−1 outcomes 107.29 F g−1 for FTO/PANI that rises to 249.03 F g−1 for the ternary composite film FTO/PANI-MnO2 75-GR.

Nanostructured SnO2 thin films were grown by the chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) method. Homemade spray pyrolysis technique is employed to prepare thin films. SnO2 is wide band gap semiconductor material whose film is deposited on glass substrate. A gold nanoparticle-doped tin oxide thin film (AuTO) was also prepared. UV-VIS (ultraviolet visible) spectroscopy and four-point probe analysis are done for optical and electrical analysis. UV-Visible absorption spectra show that the band gap of SnO2 thin film is 3.78 eV and 3.82 eV for AuTO. Band gap of SnO2 thin film can be tuned that it can be used in optical devices. The films have transmittance increases (to about 60%) and the absorbance decreases in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The electrical conductivity of the Tin Oxide is enhanced by functionalizing with the Gold nanoparticles. It is higher than that of the Tin oxide only; 0.77 x 10-2 (Ohm cm)-1 and 3.55 x 10-2 (Ohm cm)-1 for SnO2 and AuTO respectively. These properties reveal that Tin Oxide doped with gold can actually be a good material for a transparent conducting oxide to be used in photovoltaic fabrication and in electronics.

In this study, we prepared a three-dimensional self-supported electrocatalyst based on a thin layer of cerium oxide nanocrystals doped with cobalt heteroatoms (CeO2-Co) and then uniformly shelled over one-dimensional tin oxide (SnO2) nanorods supported by carbon cloth substrate. The material was used as a binder-free sensor that could nonenzymatically detect xanthine (XA) with an excellent sensitivity of 3.56 μA μM−1, wide linear range of 25 nM to 55 µM, low detection limit of 58 nM, and good selectivity. A screen-printed electrode based on the material accurately detected XA in food samples as well. The achievements were resulted from synergistic effects coming from the unique core@shell formation and Co-doping strategy, which efficiently modified electronic structure of the material to expose more electroactive site numbers/types and fast charge transfer, thereby producing intrinsic catalytic properties for XA oxidation. These results suggested that the SnO2@CeO2-Co is potential for developing efficient sensor to detect XA with good sensitivity and accuracy in food-quality monitoring.

For the photocatalytic degradation of Direct Blue 15 (DB15), tin oxide/polyaniline (SnO2/PANI) nanocomposites were prepared using the co-precipitation process. SEM, FTIR, XRD, and UV–Vis analysis were used to characterize the as-prepared SnO2/PANI nanocomposites. The XRD pattern confirms the presence of SnO2 reflection planes in both bare and SnO2/PANI. The changes in planes of SnO2 are owing to the incorporation of PANI in the SnO2. The metal oxide and the hydroxyl group of SnO2 are altered slightly with the substitution of PANI. The inclusion of PANI in SnO2 reduces the crystallite size and increases surface area compared to bare SnO2 nanoparticles. The reflectance and bandgap energy (3.1–2.7 eV) of the SnO2 decreased after the substitution of PANI. The photocatalytic dye removal efficiency of the SnO2/PANI nanocomposite was significantly improved compared to bare SnO2. The photocatalytic mechanism of SnO2/PANI nanocomposites for the degradation of DB15 is systematically explained, as well as the synergetic effect of SnO2/PANI nanocomposites. Toxicity of treated DB15 prompts a lesser impact on Artemia salina than untreated DB15. This experiment clarified that SnO2/PANI nanocomposites produced non-toxic by-products and they are lesser toxic to aquatic food web components.

This work aimed to evidence the potential use of tannin-based carbon xerogel as a co-catalyst in photocatalytic processes based on solar light. Specifically, the tin (IV) oxide/carbon xerogel photo...

A novel recycling system for indium in indium tin oxide (ITO), which comprises the dissolution of indium oxide (In2O3), chlorination, chelation, and steaming treatment, was established. Indium trichloride (InCl3) was quantitatively synthesized by the reaction of In2O3 with hydrochloric acid (HCl) and furnished tris(ethyl acetoacetato)indium (In(etac)3) in a high yield by a subsequent reaction with ethyl acetoacetate (Hetac). In(etac)3 was mixed with bis(acetylacetonato)tin dichloride (Sn(acac)2Cl2) and spin coated on a glass plate, followed by steaming and heating to obtain ITO films containing 10 wt% tin oxide. In2O3 was crystallized in c-, rh-, and o-In2O3. This film showed a resistivity of 9.7 Ωcm and a transparency of 86%.

We present the photoelectrochemical characteristics of TiO2 nanoparticle-based photoanodes. TiO2 nanoparticles (P25) were deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate by spin-coating and thermally annealed in a vacuum for enhancing the active photocatalyst. At a potential of 0.4 V (versus a reversible hydrogen electrode), the annealed TiO2 nanoparticle-based photoanode in vacuum shows a photocurrent density of 0.27 mA/cm2 and photoconversion efficiency of (η = 0.22%), which are higher than those an of annealed TiO2 nanoparticle-based electrode in air. The improved photoelectrochemical properties are attributed to high oxygen vacancy (OV) density with more active sides while TiO2 nanoparticles are annealed in a vacuum (~1.33 × 10−2 kPa) with low oxide concentration conditions. From this finding, we propose that thermal annealing can serve as an approach for fabricating the photoanodes of TiO2-based material consisting of a more active photocatalyst.

In regards to the advances in hybrid polymer nanocomposite (HPNC) materials for high-frequency nanodielectric applications, herein we report the broadband radio frequency range (1 MHz to 1 GHz) die...

The tin oxide nanopowder is synthesized by hydrothermal method and the hydrothermal time effect on its phase structure, morphology and optical properties are studied. The results show that the samp...

In this study, tin oxide‑cobalt oxide nanocatalyst was prepared by a simple method, which grew in spherical particles with an average diameter of 30 nm. Tin oxide–cobalt oxide was further wrapped in alginate polymer hydrogel (Alg@tin oxide–cobalt oxide), and both materials were utilized as nanocatalysts for the catalytic transformation of different pollutants. Tin oxide–cobalt oxide and Alg@tin oxide–cobalt oxide nanocatalysts were tested for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol, congo red, methyl orange, methylene blue (MB) and potassium ferricyanide in which sodium borohydride was used as a reducing agent. Tin oxide–cobalt oxide and Alg@tin oxide–cobalt oxide nanocatalysts synergistically reduced MB in shorter time (2.0 and 4.0 min) compared to other dyes. The reduction conditions were optimized by changing different parameters. The rate constants for MB reduction were calculated and found to be 1.5714 min−1 and 0.6033 min−1 using tin oxide–cobalt oxide and Alg@tin oxide–cobalt oxide nanocatalysts, respectively. Implementing Alg@tin oxide–cobalt oxide nanocatalyst toward MB reduction in real samples proved its efficacy in sea and well water samples. The catalyst could be easily recovered, recycled and revealed a minimal loss of nanoparticles, which offering a competition and replacement with reputable commercial catalysts.

The thermochemical treatment of tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanostructured films in hydrogen sulfide to obtain tungsten disulfide (WS2) layers in the WS2/WO3 hybrid structure is studied. The temperature and treatment time influence the structural-phase state, morphology, optical properties of a WS2/WO3/FTO photocathode (on fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) substrates), and its photoelectrocatalytic activity in the hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic solution is established. The sulfidation of WO3 nanoneedle films leads to the formation of a WS2/WO3 nanocrystalline hybrid structure under optimal conditions, which provides the separation of photogenerated carriers (electrons and holes) at the interphase boundaries (heterojunctions) necessary for the efficient photoactivated hydrogen evolution reaction according to Z scheme. The calculations of thermodynamic properties of the WS2/WO3 hybrid nanocatalyst show that synergistic effect of nanophases is possible in it to increase the catalytic activity of hydrogen evolution both on the basal planes of WS2 nanoclusters and on the surface of metal oxide nanoclusters.

The development of biosensors with innovative nanomaterials is crucial to enhance the sensing performance of as-prepared biosensors. In the present research work, we prepared copper (II) oxide (CuO) and graphene oxide (GO) composite nanofibers using the hydrothermal synthesis route. The structural and morphological properties of as-prepared GO/CuO nanofibers were analyzed using an X-ray diffractometer, field-emission scanning, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicated GO/CuO nanofibers exhibit nanosized diameters and lengths in the order of micrometers. These GO/CuO nanofibers were employed to prepare non-enzymatic biosensors (GO/CuO nanofibers/FTO (fluorine-doped tin oxide)) modified electrodes for enhanced glucose detection. The sensing performance of the biosensors was evaluated using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and chronoamperometry in phosphate buffer solution (PBS). GO/CuO/FTO biosensor achieved high sensitivity of 1274.8 μA mM−1cm−2 having a linear detection range from 0.1 to 10 mM with the lower detection limit (0.13 μM). Further, the prepared biosensor showed good reproducibility repeatability, excellent selectivity, and long-time stability. Moreover, the technique used for the preparation of the GO/CuO composite is simple, rapid, cost-effective, and eco-friendly. These electrodes are employed for the detection of glucose in blood serum with RSD ~ 1.58%.

Three-dimensional (3D) printed polypropylene (PP) structures mechanically reinforced with antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles (NPs) at various concentrations were developed and fully chara...

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are harmful to human beings and animals. VOCs include a carbon compound and its derivatives. VOCs irritate the eyes, ears, and throat, ahigh concentration of VOCs may cause cancer; also, it affects the central nervous system. A concentration below 0.3 mg/m3 is harmless, above which it is harmful to human beings. The present work discusses the detection of harmful VOCs using a lab-made portable device setup. Hydrothermally synthesized tin oxide (SnO2) nanocubes are used as an active material for VOC detection. The SnO2 pellet is prepared using a hydraulic press method and is used in the portable setup. Temperature-dependent VOC detection is carried out using a microheater. An external potential is applied to the microheater, which stimulates the active material to sense ethanol at 40 °C. SnO2 and EA deposited on graphite interdigitated electrodes projected on cellulose are used to detect isopropanol, ethanol, and acetone at room temperature. Temperature-dependent studies on acetone are carried out. A significant change in the current levels is observed for different VOCs. A positive shift in the Dirac point is noticed upon VOC exposure. The developed portable device plays a vital role in analyzing sensors based on various active materials for VOC detection.

The primary focus of this investigation was constructing worthwhile and cost-effective TCO substrate to make low-cost dye-sensitized solar cells entirely. Magnesium tin oxide substrates were prepared at a substrate temperature of 400 °C via nebulizer spray pyrolysis approach with different molar ratios of magnesium and tin (S1–0.1 M:0.4 M and S2–0.1 M:0.5 M) precursors. The annealing temperature was kept at 400 °C for three hours. While analyzing the properties of the prepared substrates, the following results were obtained. The thickness of the prepared samples for S1 and S2 increases from 0.47 to 0.56 μm, respectively. From the XRD results, the prepared samples were rhombohedral inistructure, and the grain size was found to be 31 (S1) and 40 (S2) nm. From the observations of optical studies, the percentage of transmission exceeds 80% and corresponding band-gap values were found to be 3.59 eV (S1) and 3.66 eV (S2). From Hall voltage measurement, it was noted that MgSnO3 shows n-type conductivity. The resistivity value was observed to be low of the order of 10–4 Ω cm which was closer to the resistivity of existing commercially available TCO substrates (for FTO: ~ 7 to ~ 10 Ω cm and for ITO: ~ 8 to ~ 12 Ω cm). FESEM results ensure that the prepared films were leaf-like structures. EDAX analysis shows that the atomic percentage of required elements (Mg, Sn, O) present in the prepared samples. The FTIR analysis ensures the appearance of hydroxyl and water functional groups owing to atmospheric water vapors and the chemical bonding in MgO and MgO–SnO. DSSC’s was fabricated with different combinations of FTO/MTO photoanodes and counter electrodes and the efficiency of the cells has been compared. The maximum efficiency of 3.95% was obtained for the fabricated DSSC using MTO as a substrate for photoanode and counter electrodes which was higher than that of other combinations of FTO/MTO substrates.

Facile and scalable fabrication of α-Fe2O3 photoanodes using a precursor solution containing FeIII ions and 1-ethylimidazole (EIm) in methanol was demonstrated to afford a rigidly adhered α-Fe2O3 film with a controllable thickness on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate. EIm ligation to FeIII ions in the precursor solution brought about high crystallinity of three-dimensionally well-interconnected nanoparticles of α-Fe2O3 upon sintering. This is responsible for the 13.6 times higher photocurrent density (at 1.23 V vs reference hydrogen electrode (RHE)) for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation on the α-Fe2O3 (w-α-Fe2O3) photoanode prepared with EIm compared with that (w/o-α-Fe2O3) prepared without EIm. The w-α-Fe2O3 photoanode provided the highest charge separation efficiency (ηsep) value of 27% among the state-of-the-art pristine α-Fe2O3 photoanodes, providing incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 13% at 420 nm and 1.23 V vs RHE. The superior ηsep for the w-α-Fe2O3 photoanode is attributed to the decreased recombination of the photogenerated charge carriers at the grain boundary between nanoparticles, in addition to the higher number of the catalytically active sites and the efficient bulk charge transport in the film, compared with w/o-α-Fe2O3.