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Title: Influence of particle size and water coverage on the thermodynamic properties of water confined on the surface of SnO2 cassiterite nanoparticles

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry C
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/jp202518p· OSTI ID:1029226
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [4];  [4];  [5]
  1. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
  2. ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
  3. ORNL
  4. Brigham Young University
  5. University of California, Davis

Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) data for SnO2 nanoparticles of three different sizes and varying hydration levels are presented. Data were recorded on five nanoparticle samples that had the following compositions: 2 nm SnO2*0.82H2O, 6 nm SnO2*0.055H2O, 6 nm SnO2*0.095H2O, 20 nm SnO2*0.072H2O, and 20 nm SnO2*0.092H2O. The isochoric heat capacity and vibrational entropy values at 298 K for the water confined on the surface of these nanoparticles were calculated from the vibrational density of states that were extracted from the INS data. This study has shown that the hydration level of the SnO2 nanoparticles influences the thermodynamic properties of the water layers and, most importantly, that there appears to be a critical size limit for SnO2 between 2 and 6 nm below which the particle size also affects these properties and above which it does not. These results have been compared with those for isostructural rutile-TiO2 nanoparticles [TiO2*0.22H2O and TiO2*0.37H2O], which indicated that water on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles is more tightly bound and experiences a greater degree of restricted motion with respect to water on the surface of SnO2 nanoparticles. This is believed to be a consequence of the difference in chemical composition, and hence surface properties, of these metal oxide nanoparticles.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1029226
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry C, Vol. 115, Issue 43; ISSN 1932-7447
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English