Electron Microscopy Investigations on Solution Grown Stannous Oxide Nanosheets

Abstract

In this thesis, motivated by the possibility of studying rich scientific phenomena using morphology controlled single crystals, experimental observation of new features in the growth and structure of layered oxide materials is explored using stannous oxide (SnO) as a model material. SnO single crystals are grown using a solution method and multiple features of the structure, growth, stability and phase transformation behaviour have been studied experimentally. Growing crystals using solution methods is shown to have specific advantages over other methods and observation of some features are shown to be possible only using multiple electron microscopy techniques. This thesis provides an experimental procedure to study the crystal growth, phase transformation and growth twinning phenomena in a layered oxide material with a well-known sample history and minimal sample preparation for electron microscopy.