Effect of varying calcination temperature on the structural and optical properties of tin oxide nanoparticles

Abstract

Tin oxide nanoparticles were synthesized with sol–gel method. The structural, morphological and optical properties of the as-synthesized tin oxide nanoparticles calcined at 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C were studied. The average crystallite size of 7.56 nm, 23.13 nm and 25.01 nm was evaluated through XRD analysis at 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C, respectively, which shows that the average crystallite size of SnO2 nanoparticles increased with the increase in calcinations temperature. UV–Vis spectroscopy revealed that the SnO2 nanoparticles calcined at 400 °C shows larger absorption in the near ultra-violet region as compared to 600 and 800 °C. The band gap energy (Eg) of the synthesized nanoparticles shows a decrease in Eg with the decrease in calcinations temperature, which is 3.030 eV, 3.147 eV, and 4.139 eV at 400 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C, respectively.