Oxidation-crystallization process of colloids:: An effective approach for the morphology controllable synthesis of SnO2 hollow spheres and rod bundles

In this article, we have demonstrated that the oxidation-crystallization method of amorphous colloids in the microreactor systems generated by soft templates is convenient and feasible in the large-scale production of hollow and one-dimensional (1D) structures. Through the air oxidation and crystallization of colloidal spheres in the different systems, SnO2 hollow spheres and rod bundles, respectively, were controllably obtained. The detailed growth processes of SnO2 hollow spheres and rod bundles were investigated. When SnO2 hollow spheres and rod bundles were used as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, they exhibited relatively high electrochemical capacities. Thus, it is rational to expect that this simple method can be extended to systems of other inorganic materials with desired morphologies.