Abstract
High efficient and large surface area of titanium doped tin dioxide (SnO2) based photocatalysts with various titanium doping contents varying from 0 to 4 mol% have been successfully prepared via a facile, low cost and eco-friendly co-precipitation method. Structural, morphological, textural, microstructural and optical properties of the prepared Ti-SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), the Brunauer–Emmett-Teller (BET) method, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), UV-Vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. It was found that both undoped and Ti doped SnO2 NPs were crystallized in tetragonal structure and the crystallite sizes have been reduced from 19.9 nm for undoped SnO2 NPs to 13.1 nm for SnO2: Ti 4%. As compared to pure SnO2, a decrease in size and a uniform distribution of spherical aggregates for 4% Ti doped SnO2 sample have been noticed. Nitrogen (N2) adsorption-desorption isotherms of all synthesized NPs indicate that each nanopowder showed a IV type- isotherm with a hysteresis loop resulted in a typical porous materials containing macropores and mesopores. The raman spectra was marked with the appearance of three well resolved peaks including one intense peak centered at 633 cm−1 and two other peaks at about 475 cm−1 and 772 cm−1 which might be ascribed to the characteristic modes of of the SnO2 rutile-type. FTIR spectra of Ti doped SnO2 NPs show a broad band situated in the region from 630 cm−1 to 625 cm−1 for all Ti–SnO2 samples which could be assigned to the stretching vibrations of Sn–O–Sn. Optical studies revealed that the absorption edge of SnO2: Ti NPs showed a redshift with rising titanium concentration. This redshift resulted in a decrease in the optical band gap from 3.31 eV for pure SnO2 to 2.87 eV for 4% Ti doped SnO2 nanoparticles respectively. Rhodamine B dye (RhB) has been adopted to study the photocatalytic degradation of all synthesized Ti–SnO2 NPs. Pure SnO2 NPs has an intrinsic large band gap and it was sensitive to UV light. Thus, pure SnO2 NPs display higher UV photocatalytic performance for decomposing the RhB. Titanium incorporation into SnO2 has widely improved its photocatalytic performance towards RhB photodegradation under UV and Visible light irradiations. Precisely, the 4% Ti–SnO2 based photocatalyst display the highest photacatalytic activity and can degrade both of 95% and 52% of RhB dye within 120 min respectively under UV and visible light irradiations. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the 4% doped SnO2 photocatalyst was further proved with the minimum PL intensity. The homogeneous incorporation of low Ti contents into the SnO2 matrix allow to a significant reduce in the band gap leading to an efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and consequently improves the absorption capability in the visible light.
Highlights
Water is one of the most crucial natural resources on the planet upon which all life depends on by covering over 75% of the earth’s surface
No secondary derived peaks corresponding to Titanium oxide or mixed tin oxide (Sn2 O4 ) phase were noted in the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns which indicates that the titanium doping didn’t affect the preferred orientation and maintaining good rutile-type of SnO2 and good crystallinity of SnO2
Pure and Ti–SnO2 photocatalysts with adjustable band gap structure, high surface area and visible light photocatalytic activity have been successfully synthesized via a simple, low cost co-precipitation method
Summary
Water is one of the most crucial natural resources on the planet upon which all life depends on by covering over 75% of the earth’s surface. High doping content can create electron-hole recombination sites and the wide energy band gap hinders this photoactivation Among these metals, titanium is much inexpensive and has been widely used to improve either the electrical conductivity, the ferromagnetism or the photocatalytic activity of tin dioxide nanostructure. Wang et al 2020 [26] have recently elaborated the inverse opal tin dioxide via a sol gel route and tested its photocatalytic activity towards the removal of the Rhodamine B under the visible light irradiation Their published results revealed that the inverse opal SnO2 showed high photocatalytic performance for the RhB degradation which was 1.4-times greater than that of conventional SnO2. We have tested and analyzed its photocatalytic activity towards the RhB degradation under UV light and visible light irradiations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
