SnO-SnO₂ Nanocomposites Based pn Diode: <i>In Situ</i> Synthesis, Characterization and Fabrication of Device for pn Diode Applicability

Abstract

We report on an approach for the in-situ synthesis (chemical method based) of SnO-SnO2 nanocomposites followed by characterisation (including morphological, chemical, structural and optical) and investigation of the electrical properties of the nanocomposites with reference to the as-synthesized SnO2 nanoparticles. Compared to spherical SnO2 particles, the SnO phase is found existing in the form of sheet like morphology. It has been found that through controlling of the Sn:OH precursor ratio is effective for the achievement of SnO phase. Compared to the pristine SnO2 nanoparticles, the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the nanocomposites show the p-n junction characteristics. The observation of rectification ratio 2.05 indicates the excellent rectifying property of the nanocomposites due to the presence of p-type SnO phase. Further, exploration of the I-V characteristics has revealed the dominance of space-charge limited current transport mechanism for the nanocomposites sample. The lattice defects are discovered to be the cause of the transport mechanism in the nanocomposites sample.