Effect of RuO2 in the shape selectivity of submicron-sized SnO2 structures

Several dissimilar types of tin oxide microstructures including bipyramids, cubes, and wires synthesized effectively by means of a simple approach were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry/differential thermometric analysis (TG-DTA), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A possible growth mechanism is proposed using the results of these studies. The texture coefficient values of all the structures, indexed to a tetragonal lattice, exhibit amazing variation in the preferred orientation with respect to their shapes. Although XPS data indicate that wires and cubes have a strong SnO(2) type signal, bipyramids interestingly exhibit both SnO and SnO(2) signals and a correlation of the binding energy helps in understanding the growth kinetics of such submicron structures. The results suggest that the bipyramids are formed because of the vapor-solid process (VS) while wires and cubes are formed by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) progression.