Synthesis of tin oxide nanosized crystals embedded in silica matrix through sol–gel process using alkoxide precursors

Materials made of tin oxide nanocrystals homogeneously dispersed into a silica glass matrix have been elaborated through sol–gel processing. Addition of strong acids was used to control the hydrolysis–condensation in tin and silicon alkoxides mixed alcoholic solutions. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements show that the introduction of HCl allows to synthesize gels containing up to 50% of tin oxide precursor without significant modification of the pure silica gel network. Thermal treatments of slowly dried bulk gels induce the crystallization of tin oxide nanoparticles. After firing at 1000 °C, dense materials containing tin oxide nanocrystals (with a mean diameter close to 1–2 nm) are obtained. The crystal size distribution was estimated by X-ray diffraction line profile analysis. The narrowness of this distribution makes these materials interesting for optical applications.