Preparation and characterization of SrSnO3 nanorods

Perovskite strontium stannate (SrSnO3) nanorods were prepared by annealing the precursor SnSr(OH)6 nanorods at 600 °C for 3 h. The precursor nanorods were hydrothermally synthesized at 160 °C for 16 h using Sr(NO3)2 and SnCl4·5H2O as starting materials in the presence of surfactant cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). As-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and infrared ray spectroscopy (IR). The results show that the as-synthesized powders are made of SrSnO3 one-dimensional nanorods of about 0.2–1 μm length and 100–150 nm diameter. Possible formation mechanism of SrSnO3 with nanorod structure under certain conditions was preliminarily analyzed, in which it was thought that CTAB played an important role in the formation process of the nanorod structure. Electrochemical performance of the samples versus Li metal was also evaluated for possible use in lithium-ion batteries.

► In this work, we prepared SrSnO3 nanorods by hydrothermal method using CTAB as a surfactant.
► Little work has been reported on preparation of SrSnO3 nanorods by CTAB-assisted hydrothermal route to our knowledge.
► Formation mechanism of SrSnO3 with nanorod structure in the presence of CTAB was discussed based on structural analysis.
► Electrochemical performance of samples versus Li metal was also evaluated for possible use in lithium-ion batteries.