Facile synthesis of SnO₂-graphene composites employing nonthermal plasma and SnO₂ nanoparticles-dispersed ethanol

Abstract

The tin oxide (SnO 2 )-graphene composite was synthesized by the in-liquid plasma method using SnO 2 nanoparticles (average diameter ~30 nm) dispersed ethanol as a precursor without providing external heat. As observed from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the SnO 2 nanoparticles were distributed uniformly on flaky graphene sheets. The formation of SnO 2 and high crystalline graphene was supported by the Raman analysis and x-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. A facile, low-cost method operating at atmospheric pressure based on the in-liquid plasma technology can be utilized to fabricate SnO 2 -graphene composite using minimum precursors for future applications such as gas sensing devices and fuel cells.

In‐Liquid Plasma Synthesis of Nanographene with a Mixture of Methanol and 1‐Butanol

“…reported the synthesis of carbon nanospheres using a submerged type in‐liquid plasma employing benzene . The second type features electrodes placed across the liquid surface, i. e., a gas‐liquid geometry . The gas‐liquid geometry type can be further divided based on two types of plasma‐generating region.…”

“…The electrolyte behaves like an electrode due to its conductivity. The gas‐phase plasma filaments reach the electrode placed in the liquid phase . Since the bubbles are naturally generated by the plasma ignition, no bubble generation system is necessary, which is an advantage of the in‐liquid process involving both liquid and gas phases.…”

“…Nanomaterials can be synthesized by in‐liquid plasma generated between electrodes arranged in the gas phase and liquid phase . For the synthesis of carbon materials, liquid substances consisting of several carbon atoms are used as sources.…”

“…Plasma generated in the liquid phase, i. e., in-liquid plasma, has great potential for a wide range of applications, such as water purification [1][2][3][4][5] and material synthesis. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Low-cost, high-quality materials have increasingly become more important for solving environmental concerns with clean water, energy production, [20][21][22][23][24] and so on. In in-liquid plasma processes, the plasma treatments are carried out in an environment surrounded by liquid.…”

“…[7] The second type features electrodes placed across the liquid surface, i. e., a gas-liquid geometry. [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] The gas-liquid geometry type can be further divided based on two types of plasma-generating region. When an electrolyte is used, plasma is generated between the electrodes in the gas phase and liquid surface.…”