Combustion synthesis of ZTO nanostructures

Ternary oxides like ZTO have attracted much attention as a green alternative to typical semiconductor technologies. ZTO has a wide variety of applications, but its current production methods, (vapor-based depositions and hydrothermal) are complex and involve high pressures and long reaction times. Solution Combustion Synthesis is a great candidate to overcome these issues, allowing to reduce the complexity of producing ZTO nanostructures. Solution combustion synthesis was used to produce ZTO- and ZTO-Ag-doped nanostructures. Precursor solutions of ZnO and SnO were produced and mixed in several ratios to form a ZTO precursor solution. The solutions were placed in a furnace, the synthesis was performed at 300ºC, and several annealing temperatures were explored. ZTO powders presented a mixture of ZnO, SnO₂, and ZnSnO₃ phases. When increasing the annealing temperature, a crystallinity increase and the growth of different nanostructures were observed. In order to obtain a pure ZTO phase, the influence of the surfactant in the growth of the nanostructures was studied using EDA but the formation of ZnO was favoured. Doping ZTO with silver might bring interesting advantages for electronic applications, therefore ZTO-Ag nanostructures were also produced. The use of silver nitrate led to the precipitation of SnCl₂. ZTO-Ag doped powders revealed the dominance of the ZnO phase. Finaly, the Zn:Sn ratio was confirmed to be identical to the Zn:Sn ratio of the ZTO precursor solution. The obtained results proved that solution combustion synthesis is a reliable method to produce ZTO nanostructures and can be a low-cost, green, alternative to typical production methods.

Branquinho, et al,(2016). Solution Combustion Synthesis: Applications in Oxide Electronics https://doi.org/10.5772/64761

Rovisco, et al,(2018). Seed-layer free zinc tin oxide tailored nanostructures for nanoelectronic applications: Effect of chemical parameters https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.8b00743