Facile Synthesis of SnO2 Hollow Nanospheres and Applications in Gas Sensors and Electrocatalysts

Abstract Tin oxide (SnO 2 ) hollow nanospheres have been successfully synthesized from mixed ethanol and water systems containing the surfactants sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS) and terephthalic acid. Systematic studies reveal that terephthalic acid plays pivotal roles in the formation of hollow nanospheres. In the present work, the as‐synthesized SnO 2 hollow nanospheres exhibit excellent room‐temperature ethanol sensitivity and potential catalytic ability towards the electrooxidation of ethanol, and thus are expected to be economical alternative catalysts and useful in industrial applications such as room‐temperature gas sensors. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)