Structural and optical characteristics of Sb doped SnO2 nanoparticles and their boosted photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

Abstract

Recent developments in nanomaterials have shown that multifunctionality in materials can be best achieved by using doping techniques. In this work, a simple sol-gel approach is employed to successfully prepare Sb-doped SnO2 nanoparticles. XRD, FESEM, UV–Vis spectra, Pl, and XPS were used to observe the imprints of Sb doping on the structural and optical features of SnO2 and the photocatalytic capabilities of prepared nanoparticles. The prepared SnO2 has a tetragonal rutile-type structure, and the crystallite size was found to decrease with an increase in Sb doping from ATO-0 to ATO-4 and then increase with further increment in Sb doping for ATO-6. Band gap energies of 3.5 eV, 3.67 eV, 3.71 eV, and 3.73 eV were observed for ATO-0, ATO-2, ATO-4, and ATO-6, respectively, using UV–Vis spectroscopy. Band gap changes, owing to Sb doping, in the prepared samples, which enhances the absorption in the visible light range. The inherent property of the sample to degrade the methylene orange solution was used to measure the higher photoactive response of the doped sample; this is ascribed to the enhanced efficiency with which photogenerated electron-hole pairs get separated. There is a pronounced effect on the photocatalytic activity of catalysts with antimony doping. Using a Sb–SnO2 catalyst, the photocatalytic degradation of methylene orange is studied in depth. The improved ability to catalyse a chemical reaction using light has been observed in materials that have been intentionally modified by the introduction of impurities or doping.