Fabrication of novel SnO2 nanofibers bundle and their optical properties

Here we report on the synthesis of novel SnO2 nanofibers bundle (NFB) by using ball milled Fe powders via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The reaction was carried out in a horizontal tube furnace (HTF) at 1100 degrees C under Ar flow. The as prepared product was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The microscopy analysis reveals the existence of tubular structure that might be formed by the accumulation of nanofibers. The Raman spectrum reveals that the product is rutile SnO2 with additional peaks ascribed to defects or oxygen vacancies. Room temperature Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum exhibits three emission bands at 369, 450 and 466.6 nm. Using optical absorbance data, a direct optical bandgap of 3.68 eV was calculated. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.