Rapid synthesis of SnO2 nanowires employing solar thermal energy

Abstract SnO2 nanowires were synthesized by an unique thermal evaporation technique employing solar energy at atmospheric pressure in air. Sunlight was used to create heat, which is referred herein to as solar thermal energy, a clean form of energy. The sunlight was focused onto a small area containing the tin (Sn) powder by using a magnifying lens. The concentrated sunlight created sufficient heat to melt and vaporize the Sn powder. Furthermore, the Sn vapor was made to react with oxygen in air to form tin oxide (SnO2) product. The product was confirmed to consist of high purity SnO2 nanowires. The SnO2 nanowires was obtained within just several seconds by the solar thermal evaporation technique. The SnO2 nanowires were about several tens of nanometers in diameter and a few tens of micrometers in length. The ultraviolet (UV) emission at 355 nm as well as a visible emission at around 580 nm was observed in the room temperature cathodoluminescence (CL) spectrum, which confirms the high quality of the SnO2 nanowires. These results establish a novel rapid synthesis process for the formation of SnO2 nanowires.