β-SnWO4 with Morphology-Controlled Synthesis and Facet-Depending Photocatalysis

Abstract

Faceted β-SnWO4 microcrystals are prepared with different morphologies including tetrahedra, truncated tetrahedra, truncated octahedra, and short-spiked and long-spiked spikecubes. All of these morphologies are prepared with comparable experimental conditions via microwave-assisted synthesis of high-boiling alcohols (the so-called polyol method). The decisive parameters for controlled formation of one or the other morphology of faceted β-SnWO4 microcrystals are studied and discussed, including microwave-assisted heating, Sn(OH)2 as the Sn2+ reservoir, the temperature of particle nucleation, the temperature of particle growth, and the concentration of the starting materials. Morphology and crystallinity are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, UV–vis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Finally, the photocatalytic properties of all obtained faceted microcrystals—tetrahedra, truncated tetrahedra, truncated octahedra, cubes, and short-spiked and long-spiked spikecubes—are exemplarily compared with regard to the photocatalytic decomposition of rhodamine B and the influence of the respective surface crystal planes.