Micro‐Raman investigation of tin dioxide nanostructured material based on annealing effect

Rutile‐structured nanocrystalline tin dioxide (SnO 2 ) powder was synthesized by the chemical precipitation method using the precursor SnCl 2 • 5H 2 O. The SnO 2 powder was annealed at different temperatures, namely, 600, 800 and 1000 °C. Micro‐Raman spectra were recorded for both the as‐grown and annealed SnO 2 nanocrystalline samples. Micro‐Raman spectral measurements on the SnO 2 nanoparticle show the first‐order Raman modes A 1g (633 cm −1 ), E 1g (475 cm −1 ) and B 2g (775 cm −1 ), indicating that the grown SnO 2 belongs to the rutile structure. The first‐order A 1g mode is observed as an intense band, whereas the other two modes show low intensity. The full width at half‐maximum and band area of the Raman lines of SnO 2 nanoparticle annealed at various temperatures were calculated. The effect of high‐temperature annealing on the vibrational modes of SnO 2 was studied. The optical image of SnO 2 nanocrystalline material was used to understand the surface morphology effect. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.