Synthesis and characterization of tin oxide microfibres electrospun from a simple precursor solution

Tin oxide (SnO2) microfibres in the rutile structure were synthesized using electrospinning and metallorganic decomposition techniques. Fibres were electrospun from a precursor solution containing 20 mg poly(ethylene oxide) (molecular weight 900 000), 2 ml chloroform and 1 ml dimethyldineodecanoate tin, and sintered in the air for 2 h at 400, 600 and 800degreesC, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and Raman microspectrometry were used to characterize the sintered fibres. The results showed that the synthesized fibres are composed of SnO2.