Fabrication and characterization of polliwog-like Sn/Zn2SnO4 heterostructure nanocrystal and their gas sensing properties

Polliwog-like Sn/Zn2SnO4 (P-Sn/ZTO) heterostructures have been fabricated by reducing cube-like ZnSnO3 nanoparticles in the mixed solvent of oleic acid (OA) and 1-octylamine. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry indicates that the stems of P-Sn/ZTO nanostructures are composed by ZTO, and the tips of the P-Sn/ZTO nanostructures are formed by the core of Sn and the shell of ZTO. And the position of Sn can be controlled at the tip of Zn2SnO4 nanowires. Adequate evidences demonstrate that 1-octylamine in the mixed solvent acts as the reducing agent to salt out elementary substance Sn, and the OA plays the important role in controlling the morphology of Zn2SnO4. In addition, the P-Sn/ZTO structures exhibited excellent gas sensing properties toward ethanol, and the P-Sn/ZTO is a promising potential gas sensing material.