Effect of ageing on Sn6O4(OH)4 in aqueous medium-simultaneous production of SnO and SnO2 nanoparticles at room temperature

Precipitation is one of the dominant techniques for producing tin oxide which requires calcination of the interim tin oxide hydroxide (Sn6O4(OH)(4)) precipitate at different temperatures to render the requisite oxide states. In this study, we mitigated the necessity for calcination through simple ageing of the the as-synthesized Sn6O4(OH)(4) at room temperature (25 A degrees C) in aqueous medium. Ageing for 12 days resulted in phase transition of the interim precipitate and production of discernible layers of black stannous oxide (SnO) and yellow stannic oxide (SnO2) along with the originally formed white layer of Sn6O4(OH)(4) within the same aqueous medium. The phases of tin oxide was confirmed after extracting individual layer and assessing them through X-ray analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis for the as-obtained stannous oxide established its thermal stability up to around 410 A degrees C. Additionally, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy studies performed on the SnO nanoparticles revealed their dimension to be within 25-30 nm range. The mechanisms for SnO and SnO2 formation through ageing has been delineated.