Synthesis of nanocrystalline solid solutions Al_ySn_1−yO_2−y/2 (y = 0.57, 0.4) investigated by XRD, ²⁷Al/¹¹⁹Sn MAS NMR, and Mössbauer spectroscopy

Nanocrystalline Al_ySn_1−yO_2−y/2 (y = 0.57, 0.4) was prepared by a co-precipitation method and subsequent calcination at temperatures of up to 650 °C. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction reveal crystallite sizes of about 2 nm and a crystal structure equivalent to that of pure SnO₂ cassiterite. The local structure was investigated by ²⁷Al and ¹¹⁹Sn NMR as well as by Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy. The results show the formation of a solid solution with a random distribution of Al and Sn on the cation sites and a random distribution of oxygen vacancies on the anion sites.