Influence of Solution Temperature and Surfactants on Morphologies of Tin Oxide Produced Using a Solution Plasma Technique

Single-crystalline tin oxide (SnO) plates were synthesized by a solution plasma technique using an Sn wire. In the experiments, we applied a voltage of 400 V in a 0.001 M K2CO3 solution. The effects on the products of the solution temperature, the use of surfactants, and the cooling rate were investigated. A solution temperature above 95.0 degrees C was effective for producing single-crystal SnO plates. The addition of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) significantly stabilized the Sn6O4(OH)(4) octahedrons. In the case of cetyltrimethylarnmonium bromide (CTAB) addition, SnO and Sn crystals with plate crystal, particle, and rod morphologies were formed. Quenching the solution affected the product size. Faster cooling rates reduced the size of the SnO plates. SnO plates with (001) plane faces precipitated from Sn(OH)(3)(-) ions to form plate-like crystals as a result of the difference in the growth rates at each plane.