Study of photodegradation and wetting behavior on synthesis oxides of tin (stannous and stannic)

Abstract

Amongst the varieties of metal oxides, tin oxides semiconducting are particularly interesting because of their promising nature as catalyst, energy harvesting, water purification, electronics device and space applications. In this study, three synthesized methods (air thermal oxidation, aqueous and non-aqueous) were adopted to explore the properties and application of stannous oxide (SnO) and stannic oxide (SnO2). Tin oxide materials were characterized through different techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and photoluminescence. The optical microscopy and electron microscopy images show the morphology of the tin oxide. The percentage of tin and oxygen from the elemental analysis was ~ 55% and 44 wt% respectively. FTIR spectra confirmed the Sn–O functional from the vibration peak. XRD pattern shows the prominent diffraction peak which indicates the state of oxidation of tin oxide and crystallinity. A photodegradation activity was tested in the tin oxide sample with methylene blue to explore how tin oxide surface features absorb the integrity of a dye and degrade in the presence of sunlight. The tin oxide solution emits green fluorescence in the UV light, depending upon its concentration. The water droplet contact angle measured on the tin oxide film which was experimentally observed as 69°. The theoretically wetting behavior was also studied on a tin oxide with the effect of substrate by molecular dynamics. The results suggest that material can be utilized as a photo-catalyst, drug delivery and thin-film application of solar cells.