Preparation and Photocatalytic Properties of SnO2 Coated on Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract EN

SnO2 nanoparticles coated on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes were prepared successfully via a simple wet-chemical route.

The as-obtained SnO2/CNx composites were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy.

The photocatalytic activity of as-prepared SnO2/CNx for degradation Rhodamine B under UV light irradiation was investigated.

The results show that SnO2/CNx nanocomposites have a higher photocatalytic activity than pure SnO2 and SnO2/CNTs nanocomposites.

This enhanced photoresponse indicates that the photoinduced electrons in the SnO2 prefer separately transferring to the CNx, which has a high degree of defects.

As a consequence, the radiative recombination of the electron-hole pairs is hampered and the photocatalytic activity is significantly enhanced for the SnO2/CNx photocatalysts.