Facile Synthesis and Characterization of Microstructure and Optical Properties of Pure and Zn Doped SnO2 Nanorods

In this work, pure and Zn ion doped SnO2 nanorods (Zn:SnO2) were prepared by hydrothermal method. Structural and microstructural properties of these nanorods were characterized by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis. Further, the Zn:SnO2 nanorods have been systematically investigated through optical studies such as UV–visible, Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The stochiometric composition of the Zn:SnO2 had been confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies. The samples revealed out that the dopant Zn ions creating the oxygen vacancies, which can enhance the gas sensing performance of SnO2. As a result, the Zn doped SnO2 nanorods are very suitable for gas sensing applications.