Preparation Of Doped S Nanoparticles By Hydrothermal Technique And Study Of Effect Of Doping On Their Structural And Photocatalytic Properties

Abstract

During last few decades, it has gained a lot of interest of researchers globally in newlinenanoparticles and thin films of metal oxide semiconductors such as TiO2, ZnO and SnO2 etc. newlineThese materials offer attractive prospects for a wide range of technological applications due to newlinetheir light absorption qualities, charge-transfer characteristics and electronic structures. Bulk newlineSnO2 exhibits a tetragonal rutile structure (cassiterite phase), an oxygen deficient n-type newlineelectrical conductivity and a direct band gap (Eg) of 3.6 eV (344 nm). Because of its exceptional newlineoptical and electrical properties, SnO2 is one among many metal oxides that have been newlineintensively investigated as a transparent conducting material. SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) have newlinedepicted high active surface area, quantum confinement effect, higher band gap (than bulk) and newlinehigh chemical (thermal) stability. Applications of NPs include sectors like gas sensors, newlinephotocatalysts, pharmaceuticals, field emission displays, photo-sensors, antistatic coatings, newlineelectrodes in lithium-ion batteries, solar cells and many more. Among many synthesis procedures newlinefor NPs, the hydrothermal process is a viable and appealing option for researchers due to its newlinesimple operation, low cost, simply processable nature and environmental friendliness. Like newlinevarying the experimental parameters in any synthesis process, doping is regarded as an important newlinestrategy to tune the optical and electrical properties of NPs to suit their use for any particular newlineapplication. These NPs have shown significant promises as photocatalyst. This is accomplished newlinethrough the substitution of dopants, regulation of nanoparticle morphology (size) and the newlineinduction of strain inside the crystalline structure. Doping SnO2 with metal cations is found to newline