Defect generation of rutile-type SnO2 nanocondensates: Imperfect oriented attachment and phase transformation

The rutile-type SnO2 nanocondensates as condensed by Nd-YAG laser ablation on Sn target under oxygen background gas were characterized by analytical electron microscopy to have {110}, {100} and {101} facets, which are beneficial for {∼hklhkl} vicinal attachment to form edge dislocations, faults and twinned bicrystals. The {011}-interface relaxation, by shearing along 〈011〉 directions, accounts for a rather high density of edge dislocations near the twin boundary thus formed. The rutile-type SnO2 could be alternatively transformed from orthorhombic CaCl2-type structure (denoted as o) following parallel crystallographic relationship, (01¯1)r//(01¯1)o; [111]r//[111]o, and full of commensurate superstructures and twins parallel to (011) of both phases.

Graphical abstractLattice image of rutile-type SnO2 nanocondensates with {110} and {101} faces in [111] zone axis, which were coalesced over a specific (101¯) contact plane to form twinned bicrystals.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide