Structural, optical, and dielectric properties of sol-gel derived perovskite ZnSnO3 nanomaterials

Zinc stannate (ZnSnO₃) ceramic nanoparticles were synthesized via a sol-gel polymeric technique utilizing polyacrylic acid as a template polymer. The effect of pH during the synthesis process was investigated by preparing the ZnSnO₃ nanoparticles at pH 3 and 8. The structural, molecular, morphological, optical, and dielectric properties of the synthesized ZnSnO₃ nanoparticles were thoroughly characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TEM, with optical and dielectric measurements. FTIR and XRD analyses confirmed the phase purity of the synthesized ZnSnO₃ nanoparticles, which exhibited an orthorhombic perovskite crystal structure. As observed in the SEM and TEM images, the ZnSnO₃ nanoparticles prepared at pH 8 displayed a more defined cubic crystalline morphology, with an average particle size of 128 nm. The optical properties of the ZnSnO₃ nanoparticles showed a high absorption edge in the UV region for both pH conditions. The calculated bandgap energies were 3.67 eV for pH 3 and 3.57 eV for pH 8. The dielectric properties at pH 3 and 8 exhibited a low dielectric constant (ε′ = 4 and 5, respectively) and very low dielectric loss (tan δ = 0.1 and 0.06, respectively) at 1 MHz. These exceptional optical and dielectric properties make the prepared ZnSnO₃ nanoparticles a promising material for various applications.

Graphical Abstract