Size-controlled synthesis of porous ZnSnO3 cubes and their gas-sensing and photocatalysis properties

Uniform and monodisperse porous ZnSnO3 cubes were synthesized by a template-free, economical aqueous solution method combined with subsequent calcination. The size of the precursor, ZnSn(OH)6 cubes, was carefully controlled from 80–100 nm to 280–310 nm by adjusting the pH value of the solution. The as-fabricated sensors based on the porous ZnSnO3 cubes showed high sensitivity, fast response, and short recovery time toward formaldehyde and toluene gases. The results have showed that the sensitivity of gas sensors increases as the particle-size of porous ZnSnO3 cubes decreases. Moreover, the sensors also exhibit good responses to ethanol, acetone, and n-butanol, indicating that the porous ZnSnO3 cubes are highly promising for the applications of gas sensors. Furthermore, due to the unique porous 3D structures of the samples, the photocatalytic property of the obtained porous ZnSnO3 cubes was also investigated. The results have showed that the as-prepared porous ZnSnO3 cubes exhibit superior photocatalytic property on photocatalytic decomposition of Rhodamine B.