Analyzing the Thermal Behavior and Phase Transitions of ZnSnO₃ Prepared via Chemical Precipitation

ZnSnO₃ ceramics were prepared via chemical precipitation at various calcination temperatures of 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 °C. The prepared ceramics were analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis–differential scanning calorimetry (TGA–DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). Thermal analysis identified critical phase transitions, including the decomposition of ZnSn(OH)₆ into ZnSnO₃ and its subsequent transformation into Zn₂SnO₄ at elevated temperatures. XRD confirmed the orthorhombic crystal structure of the prepared ceramics. Further, increasing calcination temperatures led to enhanced crystallinity and reduced crystallite sizes, with the average crystallite size ranging from 22 to 45 nm. FTIR analysis revealed the chemical bonding and functional groups present in ZnSnO₃. The energy band gap values observed from UV-Vis spectroscopy ranged from 3.64 eV to 3.53 eV. These findings show the role of calcination temperature in tailoring the structural and optical properties of ZnSnO₃ ceramics, with potential applications in energy conversion technologies, including solar cells and optoelectronic devices. The optimization and development of ZnSnO₃-based materials hold promise for efficient energy harvesting and storage applications.