Growth and morphologies of large-scale SnO2 nanowires, nanobelts and nanodendrites

Single-crystalline SnO2 nanowires, nanobelts and nanodendrites were synthesized by a simple gas-reaction route on a large scale at 900degreesC. They were characterized by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED). FE-SEM images showed that the products consisted of nanowires, nanobelts and nanodendrites that represent a novel morphology reported for the first time. XRD, SAED and EDS indicated that they were single-crystalline tetragonal SnO2. The influence of experimental conditions on the morphologies of the products is discussed.