Nanocomposites SnO2/Fe2O3: Wet chemical synthesis and nanostructure characterization

Abstract Nanocomposites SnO 2 /Fe 2 O 3 have been obtained in whole concentration range 0–100 mol% Fe 2 O 3 using wet chemical synthesis. The composition and nanostructure of the powders have been investigated by energy dispersed X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and BET measurements. It has been found that the addition of a second component affects the grain size and lattice parameters of major phase. A spinel mixed phase Fe 3− x Sn x O 4 have been observed by XRD and Raman spectroscopy. A new Raman band firstly detected for Fe 2 O 3 -based samples could be the vibrational signature of nanocrystalline state of Fe 2 O 3 . The gas sensor properties of nanocomposites towards 15 ppm H 2 S have been studied by conductance measurements in dc mode at 150 °C. The maximum sensor response to H 2 S has been observed for samples (Fe 2 O 3 ) 0.015 (SnO 2 ) 0.985 and (Fe 2 O 3 ) 0.72 (SnO 2 ) 0.28 .