Photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange using TiO2/SnO2 binary nano composite

Abstract

Removal of organic dyes effluents in water, which is a major source of environmental pollution, has become a important area of research these days. In the present study, photocatalytic degradation of hazardous dye methyl orange (MO) using binary TiO2/SnO2 nanocomposite has been studied. Nanocomposite in a TiO2:SnO2 ratio of 95:5 has been synthesized from TiO2 (anatase) and SnO2 (rutile) nanoparticles using hydrothermal method. The synthesis of composite has been confirmed using various characterizations. The phase structure, particle size, surface morphology and optical properties have been estimated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The binary nanocomposites degraded the hazardous dye methyl orange with high speed as compare to pure TiO2 nanoparticles, under UV-light illumination. Addition of SnO2 to TiO2 leads to enhanced degradation capacity owing to formation of intermediate band gap. The photocatalytic activity of compound has also been compared with previously reported anatase TiO2 nanoparticles.