SnO 2 nanorods were successfully prepared by a hydrothermal method using tin chloride, liquid ammonia, sodium hydroxide and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as starting materials. Structural properties and surface morphologies of the SnO 2 nanorods were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Experimental results showed that the diameter of the nanorods is in the range of 100–300 nm with a length of several micrometers. The hydrothermal treatment temperature was found to play an important role in determining the morphology and diameter of the SnO 2 nanorods. Possible growth mechanisms of SnO 2 nanorods were proposed.

CuO, Al 2 O 3, Ag 2 O and La 2 O 3 doped on SnO 2 nanoparticles were successfully fabricated by a hydrothermal route at 200 °C for 3 h. The morphology and composition were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX). The results showed that the particle size is 6–8 nm without other impurities. The influence of CuO with a concentration of 0.5–3wt%, which was doped on sol SnO 2 5wt% by hydrothermal and vibration technique, was discussed. In addition, the gas sensitivity experiment of samples to 1% LPG in the temperature range of 230–430 °C indicated the improvement in sensitivity and response time. In particular, the SnO 2 sol suspension 5wt% doped with CuO 2wt% showed the best sensitivity at 330 °C.