Multifunctional tin dioxide materials: advances in preparation strategies, microstructure, and performance

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. We describe the efforts toward understanding the synthetic strategies and formation mechanisms of the micro/nanostructures of various SnO 2 thin films.