Biopolymer-assisted construction and gas-sensing study of uniform solid and hollow ZnSn(OH)6 spheres

In this study, solid ZnSn(OH)6 microspheres were successfully synthesized with water-soluble biopolymer sodium alginate as crystal growth modifiers and ammonia as basic source under hydrothermal conditions. In the alkaline solution, the solid ZnSn(OH)6 spheres can be gradually corroded by ammonia to form hollow ZnSn(OH)6 spheres under the hydrothermal conditions through a dissolution–reprecipitation mechanism. Gas sensor tests indicate that hollow ZnSn(OH)6 spheres have a better response to ethanol compared to solid ZnSn(OH)6 spheres, which might be due to the hollow structure-resulted larger specific surface area. This method would provide a potential route for the synthesis of hollow ternary compounds.