Effect of iron doping on the properties of SnO2 nano/microfibers

Abstract The present work is focused on the preparation and characterization of SnO 2 -based fibers suitable for gas sensing application. The pure SnO 2 fibers were synthesized together with Fe 3+ -doped and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles-doped SnO 2 fibers by needle-less electrospinning technique and followed the calcination process. Fe modification of SnO 2 fibers was prepared by the simple addition of Fe(NO 3 ) 3 .9H 2 O or Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles to the spinning solution. Subsequently, the individual fibers were deposited using the spin coating process on the silicon substrate to form structured fiber films. The prepared fibers and films were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, BET, and UV–Vis. The calcination of individual fibers led to the formation of tube-like or full fiber structures in dependence on the doping type of the spinning solution. The full fiber structures with a higher surface area and decreased grain sizes were obtained after doping the precursor solution with Fe 3+ . On the other hand, doping with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles does not have a significant effect on the fibers morphology compared to pure SnO 2 tube-like fibers. The resulting morphology of the fibers has a substantial effect on the thickness, roughness, and compactness of the structured final films.