Decomposition of the molecular precursor Bu 4Sn 6S 6 on the surface of TiO 2 to prepare semiconductor composite photocatalysts

Abstract

In this work, the single source organometallic precursor Bu 4Sn 6S 6 was impregnated and decomposed on the surface of TiO 2 to produce semiconductor composites. 119Sn Mössbauer, Raman and ultra violet/visible spectroscopies, powder X-ray diffraction, temperature programmed reduction and surface area suggest for Sn contents of 1, 5 and 10 wt%, the formation of a highly dispersed unstable SnS phase which is readily oxidized by air at room temperature to form SnO 2 on the TiO 2 surface. The composite with Sn 30 wt% produced a mixture with the phases SnS/γ-Sn 2S 3 and SnO 2. Photocatalytic experiments with the composites SnX n /TiO 2 using the textile dye Drimaren red as a probe molecule showed a first-order reaction with rate constants k absorbance for the composites with Sn 1 and 5% higher than pure TiO 2 which was explained by the formation of the more active photocatalyst composite SnO 2/TiO 2.