Defect generation of rutile-type SnO2 nanocondensates: Imperfect oriented attachment and phase transformation

The rutile-type SnO2 nanocondensates as condensed by Nd-YAG laser ablation on Sn target under oxygen background gas were characterized by analytical electron microscopy to have {110}, {100} and {101} facets, which are beneficial for {∼image} vicinal attachment to form edge dislocations, faults and twinned bicrystals. The {011}-interface relaxation, by shearing along 〈011〉 directions, accounts for a rather high density of edge dislocations near the twin boundary thus formed. The rutile-type SnO2 could be alternatively transformed from orthorhombic CaCl2-type structure (denoted as o) following parallel crystallographic relationship, (image)r//(image)o; [111]r//[111]o, and full of commensurate superstructures and twins parallel to (011) of both phases.