A novel study on photo dependent current voltage characteristics of SnO₂ nanoparticles

Abstract Tin oxide is a multifaceted compound. It has numerous applications because to its appealing characteristics, including band gap, crystal structure, and the presence of different oxidation states. This study demonstrates the synthesis of SnO 2 using combination of hydrothermal and solvothermal method. Pure ethanol, methanol and double distilled water are used as a solvent. Concentration of Tin precursor, reaction time, reaction temperature and pH of the solution kept constant. X ray diffraction confirms the formation of tetragonal symmetry. Williamson–Hall, size-strain, Halder-Wagner, Wagner-Aqua methods were employed to study the structural features such as crystallite size, microstrain, deformation energy density etc. Peak value of crystallite size was obtained for the methanol medium. Crystallite size obtained using various procedures follows a similar pattern to the solvent used for synthesis. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) was used to calculate pore size and surface area. Spectral dependency of current voltage characteristics was investigated. Current increases when illuminated with different spectral range light. I–V exhibits spectrum dependence for AM 1.5 spectra across multiple spectral ranges in the visible and infrared regions. Ideality factor and Schottky barrier height were determined. The ideality factor and Schottky barrier height vary depending on the spectral range employed for illumination. Transmission electron microscopy was utilized to investigate structural details. The lattice parameter, particle size, and crystal planes were determined by TEM imaging. This effort will pave the way for the creation of a future photodetection device.