Effect of La doping on microstructure of SnO2 nanopowders prepared by co-precipitation method

• Published in: Journal of non-crystalline solids Vol. 357; no. 3; pp. 1172 - 1176
• Main Authors: Fu, Chong, Wang, Junbo, Yang, Minge, Su, Xiaolei, Xu, Jie, Jiang, Bailing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier 01-02-2011
• Subjects: Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Crystallites; Doping; Exact sciences and technology; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanoscale materials: clusters, nanoparticles, nanotubes, and nanocrystals; Nanostructure; Physics; Solid solutions; Structure of solids and liquids; crystallography; Tin dioxide; Tin oxides; Differential scanning calorimetry; Particle size; Lattice distortion; Chemical precipitation; XRD; La-doped SnO; Transmission electron microscopy; Solid solutions; Tin Lanthanum Oxides Mixed; Monolayer dispersion; Chemical composition; Nanopowder; Chemical co-precipitation; Microstructure; Coprecipitation; Nanomaterial synthesis; X-ray photoelectron spectra
• ISSN: 0022-3093; 1873-4812
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2010.10.019

A series of La-doped SnO2 nanopowders with various dopant concentrations were prepared by chemical co-precipitation technique, and the nanopowders prepared were characterized by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermo-gravimetric (TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that La doping can obviously prevent the growth of nanosized SnO2 crystallites. When the La concentration reaches and surpasses 5at.%, SnO2 crystallite size reaches a minimum value and remains almost constant. With the increase of La concentration, La tends to dissolve in the bulk phase of SnO2 to form solid solution below 10at.% addition and then starts to disperse onto the surface of the solid solution as a monolayer above 10at.%. The effect of La doping on hindering crystallite growth can be attributed to the solute drag and lattice distortion resulting from La dissolving in the bulk phase of SnO2 to form solid solution, rather than the monolayer of La on the surfaces of the SnO2 powders. a-[ordm La doping can obviously prevent the growth of nanosized SnO2 crystallites. a-[ordm La dissolves in the bulk phase of SnO2 to form solid solution. a-[ordm Hindering mechanism can be attributed to the solute drag and lattice distortion.