Effect of zinc substitution on the physical and electrochemical properties of mesoporous SnO2 nanoparticles

Abstract In this work, the effect of substitution of zinc (Zn2+) ions on structural, optical, morphological and electrochemical properties of mesoporous tin dioxide (SnO2) nanoparticles (NPs) was analyzed. The XRD spectra revealed a significant reduction in crystallite size scale down from 17 to 39 nm when the proportion of Zn was increased. The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images authenticated the uniformity of the size and shape of as prepared Zn substituted SnO2 NPs. From the porosity measurements using N2 sorption isotherms, it was found that the synthesized particles were porous in nature and the corresponding BET surface area was found to increase with the increase in the dopant percentage and the BET surface area was found to vary in the range of 36–40 m2/g for higher percentage of dopants. The Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) denoted a significant decrease in charge transfer resistance (RCT) indicating an improved electrochemical performance of the electrode.