Electrical properties of tin dioxide two-dimensional nanostructures

Tin dioxide is the most used material for gas sensing because its three-dimensional nanostructures and properties are related to the large surface exposed to gas adsorption. We propose the use of a two-dimensional nanostructure of SnO2 in the form of nanobelts; such newly achieved layers have been found to exhibit electrical properties that are similar to their three-dimensional counterpart but with the unique feature of being a pure crystal. Such a characteristic would guarantee long-term stability for the nanobelts, a condition which is not always met with three-dimensional nanostructures because of the occurrence of grain coalescence. In this framework, we developed an analytical approach to model the electrical properties of one-, two-, or three-dimensional nanostructures.