Synthesis of novel clinopinacoid structure of stannous oxide and hydrogen absorption characteristics

Three dimensional self-assembled clinopinacoid type architectures of stannous oxide (SnO) with a controllable morphology were successfully synthesized via template-free hydrothermal growth method by using SnCl2 center dot 2H(2)O, NH3, and H2O as precursors. The structural, chemical, and physical characteristics were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive Xray spectroscopy (EDS), and Raman microspectroscopy. FESEM results exhibited the distinct clinopinacoid morphology with the apparent size of 10-14 mu m. The XRD results indicated that the clinopinacoid-like structure is comprised of the tetragonal phase SnO with the average crystal size of about 27 nm. Two Raman modes at A(1g) = 210 cm(-1) and B-1g = 114 cm(-1) had further testified the existence of the nano tetragonal phase SnO. The study on hydrogen absorption characteristics of the SnO clinopinacoid-type structure, performed at 373 K. revealed the absorption capacity of about 0.96 wt.%. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.