Facile Synthesis of N‐Doped SnO2 Nanoparticles: A Cocatalyst‐Free Promising Photocatalyst for Hydrogen Generation

Abstract

AbstractA facile solution‐based one‐step synthetic approach has been employed for an easy introduction of Nitrogen (N) into SnO2 lattice under the mild condition for a cocatalyst free hydrogen generation by photocatalytic water splitting. The crystal structure and morphology of synthesized N doped SnO2 nanoparticles were confirmed by powder X‐ray diffraction and electron microscopic techniques. Analysis by X‐ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy confirms that 4.6 % N was present in SnO2 lattice, while broadband observed in the Raman spectrum reveals the presence of oxygen vacancies and disordered structure due to N‐doping. The nanoparticles exhibit high surface area (139.7 m2/g) and bandgap close to 3.45 eV as deduced from Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET) measurement and Diffuse reflectance spectroscopic technique, respectively. The photocatalytic performance of the nanoparticles was evaluated by water splitting reaction for hydrogen generation using a photochemical reactor consisting of a Xenon lamp and was performed using different scavengers. It was found that out of various scavengers, maximum hydrogen yield, i. e., 169 μmol/g was achieved by N doped SnO2 nanoparticles with methanol and the order of scavengers for hydrogen generation using N doped SnO2 nanoparticles is Methanol>EDTA>TEOA.