Solvothermal synthesis, characterisation and luminescent property of multilayered SnO2 hollow microspheres

Multilayered nanocrystalline SnO₂ hollow microspheres (MHS-SnO₂) of a rutile structure with a controllable morphology have been successfully synthesised via a chemically induced self-assembly method by using tin chloride pentahydrate and sucrose as precursors in the glycol-water aided solvothermal synthesis. The morphology, composition, structure and luminescent properties of MHS-SnO₂ are characterised by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) with selected area electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The FESEM, TEM and HRTEM images indicate that the as-prepared microspheres show a multilayer structure and the walls of the hollow microspheres are composed of single crystalline nanoparticles . The effect of calcinating temperature on the Raman and optical properties of the product is analysed and a self-assembly growth mechanism of the MHS-SnO₂ is proposed.