title: Multifunctional tin dioxide materials: advances in preparation strategies, microstructure, and performance.
abstract: Tin oxide materials are a class of unique semiconductor materials with widespread technological applications because of their valuable semiconducting, gas sensing, electrical and optical properties in the fields of macro/mesoscopic materials and micro/nanodevices. In this review, we describe the efforts toward understanding the synthetic strategies and formation mechanisms of the micro/nanostructures of various tin dioxide thin films prepared by pulsed laser ablation, highlighting contributions from our laboratory. First, we present the preparation and formation processes of tetragonal-phase tin dioxide thin films with interesting fractal clusters. In addition, the quantum-dot formation and dynamic scaling behavior in tetragonal-phase tin dioxide thin films induced by pulsed delivery will be discussed experimentally and theoretically. Finally, we emphasize the fabrication, properties and formation mechanism of orthorhombic-phase tin dioxide thin films by using pulsed laser deposition. This research may provide a novel approach to modulate their competent performance and promote rational design of micro/nanodevices. Once mastered, tin dioxide thin films with a variety of fascinating micro/nanostructures will offer vast and unforeseen opportunities in the semiconductor industry as well as in other fields of science and technology.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Applied Radiation Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, People's Republic of China. zwchen@shu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhiwen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Minghong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Chan-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Shek
authors.forename: C M Lawrence
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Joseph K L
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lai