Rational Design and Synthesis of ZnWO4 Nanorods Decorated with SnS Nanodots with Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance

Tiekun Jia,Xiaoyi Shan,Fang Fu

doi:10.3390/catal11111345

Abstract

Aiming to construct a direct Z-scheme binary heterostructure for efficient degradation of the organic dye Rhodamine B (RhB), ZnWO4 nanorods decorated with SnS nanodots were rationally designed and prepared via a facile two-step route. Morphological observation and structural study showed that ultra-fine SnS nanodots were anchored on the surface of ZnWO4 nanorods to form an intimate contact between the two components. Such a special structure provided SnS/ZnWO4 nanocomposites with significantly enhanced light harvesting capacity, revealed by the results of UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS). Photoluminescence (PL) analysis in combination with electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the recombination of photoactivated charge carriers was efficiently inhibited and the transfer of photoactivated charge carriers was successfully achieved due to the introduction of SnS. The degradation rate over SnS/ZnWO4 nanocomposites reached a maximum value at SnS content of 9 wt%. The significantly enhanced photoactivity of SnS/ZnWO4 nanocomposites was imputed to the synergistic effect of the promoted light absorption ability and effective photogenerated charge carriers’ transfer and separation.

Highlights

After stepping into the 21st century, a large number of pollutants from industry and aquaculture have been increasingly charged into water
The results showed that the g-C3N4-ZnWO4 hybrid photocatalysts exhibited outstanding visible-light degradation efficiency toward Rhodamine B (RhB) [12]
In efforts to demonstrate the existence of SnS in hybrid composites, EDS analysis was performed and the results are displayed in Figure 1e, from which we can see that both Sn and S elements are homogeneously distributed throughout the product

Summary

Introduction

After stepping into the 21st century, a large number of pollutants from industry and aquaculture have been increasingly charged into water. Most of the charged pollutants from wastewater are of high stability, and cannot be naturally degraded in the environment. The existence of the above hazardous pollutants will pose an increasingly serious threat to humanity’s future. Establishing an alternative environmentally friendly and sustainable approach for the remediation of soluble organic pollutants has become a matter of primary importance. Semiconductor photocatalysis technology is endowed with several notable merits, such as easy control, sufficient degradation, and zero secondary pollution, as well as ecological safety, and is reckoned as one of the most promising solutions to remediate water contamination [1,2,3,4]

Methods

Results

Conclusion