Effect of Sn Purity and Electropolishing Procedure on the Morphology and Properties of Nanoporous SnO Layers Obtained via Galvanostatic Anodization.

In this study, for the first time, we investigated the influence of Sn foil purity and electropolishing pretreatment procedure on the growth of nanoporous SnO fabricated during galvanostatic anodization. For this reason, anodic tin oxide layers were fabricated on different Sn foil substrates in a time range from 5 to 90 min, and a detailed inspection of morphological features of as-grown films was carried out using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Atomic force microscope (AFM) microscopy. Afterward, a comparative investigation of optical and photoelectrochemical properties depending on the time of anodization and the substrate type was elucidated and discussed. The findings of the study indicate that the type of substrate influences the morphology and properties of the material, with the effect becoming more pronounced as the thickness of SnO increases.