Tin(II) ketoacidoximates: synthesis, X-ray structures and processing to tin(II) oxide

Area of Science:

• Inorganic Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Tin(II) compounds are versatile precursors in materials synthesis.
• Oximato ligands offer unique coordination possibilities with metal centers.
• Controlled synthesis of tin(II) oxide (SnO) nanomaterials is crucial for electronic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel tin(II) ketoacidoximates.
• To investigate the structural properties and thermal decomposition behavior of these compounds.
• To explore the formation of SnO nanomaterials and films from these precursors.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of tin(II) ketoacidoximates using pyruvate and hydroxyl/methoxylamine with tin(II) chloride dihydrate.
• Single crystal X-ray diffraction for structural determination.
• Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis and evolved gas analysis for decomposition studies.
• Spin coating and thermal treatment for SnO film formation.
• Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for material characterization.

Main Results:

• Novel tin(II) ketoacidoximates with trigonal bipyramidal and trigonal pyramidal geometries were synthesized.
• Compounds exhibit inter- or intramolecular hydrogen bonding.
• Decomposition to SnO occurs around 160 °C, yielding spherical SnO particles (10-500 nm).
• Uniform SnO films were fabricated on Si and glass substrates.
• SnO materials exhibit a band gap of 3.0-3.3 eV.
• SnO films show surface oxidation to SnO2 in ambient air.

Conclusions:

• Tin(II) ketoacidoximates serve as effective precursors for SnO nanomaterials and films.
• The synthesized SnO materials possess tunable properties suitable for potential applications.
• Understanding the decomposition pathways and material properties is key for precursor design.