Insights of preferred growth, elemental and morphological properties of BN/SnO2 composite for photocatalytic applications towards organic pollutants

Abstract

Boron nitride (BN) has been explored these days because of its extraordinary optical, chemical and mechanical properties. BN is sensitive to its crystal structure that slight change in lattice parameters enormously change its properties. Present study deals with synthesis, characterization as well as photocatalytic applications of BN-based composite. When boron nitride was mixed with SnO2 having tetragonal crystal structure, dissociation into smaller sheets occurred and the material oriented to (102) plane. SnO2 particles attached both sides of BN sheets provided high surface area which make the material suitable for catalytic process. Presence of large number of active sites leads to the formation of hydroxyl radicals in BN/SnO2 composite which helps during degradation of organic and colourless pollutants i.e. methyl orange dye up-to ~92% under 7 minutes and salicylic acid in 40 minutes to ~82%. Results suggested that BN/SnO2 composite material possesses good capability for use in environmental as well as industrial applications.

2D Boron Nitride Heterostructures: Recent Advances and Future Challenges

“…The most general approach is using h‐BN as support for growing oxide and metal nanoparticles. Some examples are (α‐Fe 2 O 3 ), [ 77 ] cadmium sulfide (CdS), [ 78 ] indium sulfide (In 2 S 3 ), [ 79 ] tin oxide (SnO 2 ), [ 80 ] tin sulfide (SnS 2 ), [ 81 ] zinc stannate (ZnSnO 3 ), [ 82 ] tungsten trioxide (WO 3 ), [ 83 ] antimony tungsten oxide (Sb 2 WO 6 ), [ 84 ] lead tungstate (PbWO 4 ), [ 85 ] zinc ferrite (ZnFe 2 O 4 ), [ 24 ] molybdenum oxide (MoO 2 ), [ 86 ] copper oxide (Cu 2 O), [ 87 ] copper sulfide (CuS), [ 88 ] silver bromide (AgBr), [ 89 ] and silver carbonate (Ag 2 CO 3 ). [ 90 ] These particles have grown on h‐BN with the main purpose to increase the charge transfer efficiency and reduce the recombination of hole–electron pairs.…”

Boron Nitride–Titania Mesoporous Film Heterostructures

“…5 h-BNNSs have been combined with semiconductors, such as TiO 2 , SnO 2 , and InS 2 , to enhance the photocatalytic response. 6,7 For this purpose, several types of nanocomposites have been built mostly in the form of micro-or nanoparticles. 8 However, the recent European Union's classification of titania powders as a category 2 carcinogen by inhalation has severely limited applications based on titania micro-and nanoparticles.…”

Beyond Conventional: Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Photocatalytic Properties of Nanofibers Featuring Metal-Oxide-Modified Boron Nitride Nanoparticles

“…27 According to Singh et al, the accumulation of SnO 2 on BN nanosheets provides a high surface area, transforming the particles into a suitable form for catalytic processing. 26 One of the nanostructures with a high surface area is electrospun nanofibers, which provide an advantage compared to powder materials by serving as a structural framework. 29 Electrospinning is a relatively robust, simple, and effective technique for producing nanofibers from various polymers.…”

“…Xu et al investigated the photocatalytic activity of the BN/WO 3 hybrid material for rhodamine B, and even a small amount of BN was reported to be sufficient for enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to neat WO 3 . According to Singh et al, the accumulation of SnO 2 on BN nanosheets provides a high surface area, transforming the particles into a suitable form for catalytic processing …”