Synthesis and optoelectrical properties of SnO₂ nanospheres derived by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method

SnO₂ nanospheres have been synthesized by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method from the starting materials of citric acid and tin metallic particles. From the results of SEM and TEM images, it can be found that the SnO₂ nanospheres are uniform with diameter of ∼100 nm and aggregated by SnO₂ nanocrystals with size of 8-10 nm. The photoluminescence spectrum of the nanospheres shows a peak at ∼330 nm and a cutoff wavelength of around 400 nm. The pronounced photocurrent was recoded from the as-prepared SnO₂ nanospheres assembled on a Mo thin sheet under the UV illumination, which is suggested for the potential application of UV photodetector.