Fabrication and characterization of inverse opal tin dioxide as a novel and high-performance photocatalyst for degradation of Rhodamine B dye

Abstract

Three-dimensional Inverse opal periodic structure and high specific surface area have been widely applied in many fields. Herein, inverse opal tin dioxide (SnO2) was fabricated successfully via a sol-gel method by the cooperative opal template. The crystal phase, surface morphology, surface area and optic absorption of inverse opal SnO2 were studied using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), BET-BJH, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. The photocatalytic performance of newly fabricated inverse opal SnO2 photocatalyst was tested for the removal of an organic dye pollutant Rhodamine B (RhB) under the visible light irradiation. Results revealed that inverse opal SnO2 showed high photocatalytic performance for RhB dye degradation, which was 1.4-times greater than that of conventional SnO2. Resultantly, 97.5% RhB dye was degraded by IOS-610 after 1 h treatment under the visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity enhancement was mainly due to a synergistic effect of the periodic structure of inverse opal SnO2 and the enlarged surface area. In conclusion, the findings suggest that the inverse opal photocatalyst is a promising choice for the degradation of RhB. The experimental results may help fabricate more universal opal-based inverse photocatalysts for the efficient degradation of environmental dyes and pollutants.