title: Insights from investigations of tin dioxide and its composites: electron-beam irradiation, fractal assessment, and mechanism.
abstract: Tin dioxide (SnO2) is a unique strategic functional material with widespread technological applications, particularly in fields such as solar batteries, optoelectronic devices, and solid-state gas sensors owing to advances in its optical and electronic properties. In this review, we introduce the recent progress of tin dioxide and its composites, including the synthesis strategies, microstructural evolution, related formation mechanism, and performance evaluation of SnO2 quantum dots (QDs), thin films, and composites prepared by electron-beam irradiation, pulsed laser ablation, and SnO2 planted graphene strategies, highlighting contributions from our laboratory. First, we present the electron-beam irradiation strategies for the growth behavior of SnO2 nanocrystals. This method is a potentially powerful technique to achieve the nucleation and growth of SnO2 QDs. In addition, the fractal assessment strategies and gas sensing behavior of SnO2 thin films with interesting micro/nanostructures induced by pulsed delivery will be discussed experimentally and theoretically. Finally, we emphasize the fabrication process and formation mechanism of SnO2 QD planted graphene nanosheets. This review may provide a new insight that the versatile strategies for microstructural evolution and related performance of SnO2-based functional materials are of fundamental importance in the development of new materials.
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, People's Republic of China. zwchen@shu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhiwen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chan-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Shek
authors.forename: C M Lawrence
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Wu