The Growth of Tin Oxide Aerogels: Theoretical Modeling and Experimental Characterizations

Abstract

ABSTRACTTin oxide aerogels were synthesized using the epoxide-assisted technique and characterized with X-ray diffraction, diffusive reflectance spectroscopy, particle-induced X-ray emission and scanning electron microscopy. Our results indicate that the material is electrically semi-insulating as the result of oxygen vacancies that appear as fixed charges at the bottom of the conduction band. A modification of the technique with the addition of hydrogen peroxide is proposed to reduce the levels of defects and enhance the optical transparency of the material.