Synthesis and characterization of SnO2 nanorods

SnO2 nanorods with the rutile structure were prepared by annealing precursor powders, which were produced by mixing three kinds of microemulsions (NP5, NP9, OP and cyclohexane with the volume ratio 1:1:1:2) in the presence of salts such as SnCl4, Na2CO3, NaCl respectively. The structure and morphology of SnO2 nanorods were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the diameter and length of the as-prepaxed nanorods were 30similar to90nm and several micrometers respectively. The nanorods were perfect crystals. The mechanism of the formation of SnO2 nanorod was simply discussed in terms of the nucleation and growth process.