Nondestructive assessment of the grain size distribution of SnO2 nanoparticles by low-frequency Raman spectroscopy

Abstract
A nondestructive methodology is reported to obtain the grain size distribution of SnO2 nanoparticles, with grain sizes below 10 nm, using low-frequency Raman scattering measurements. The position of the main low-frequency Raman bands depends on the grain size and can be correlated with the spheroidal vibration modes of a spherical elastic body with “rigid” boundaries. The grain size distributions deduced from Raman scattering are in agreement with the direct measurements from transmission electron microscopy, especially for the smaller grains.