ZnO decorated Sn₃O₄ nanosheet nano-heterostructure: a stable photocatalyst for water splitting and dye degradation under natural sunlight

Abstract

Herein, a facile hydrothermally-assisted sonochemical approach for the synthesis of a ZnO decorated Sn3O4 nano-heterostructure is reported.

Enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance for degradation of organic contaminants using PbWO4 nanostructure fabricated by a new, simple and green sonochemical approach

“…As a proper and environmentally friendly solution to address a critical global concern that could affect the entire globe, visible-light photocatalysis technology has been proposed to eliminate water contamination [1] . In this approach, the creation of reactive oxygen species to remove water contaminants can happen with the aid of photocatalyst possessing desirable band gap through advanced oxidation processes [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] . One of the most notable areas of research pursued by scientists is the design of efficacious catalytic materials that are activated with the aid of visible light [6] , [7] , [8] .…”

Sonochemical catalysis as a unique strategy for the fabrication of nano-/micro-structured inorganics

“…Adhyapak et al attempted to merge hetero-valent tin oxide (Sn 3 O 4 ) with ZnO, since ZnO with a wide band gap (3.2 eV) could be a good alternative for band coupling with Sn 3 O 4 to fulfil the effective separation and transfer of photo-generated holes and electrons. [174] By a combined hydrothermal and sonochemical method, they synthesize a ZnO@Sn 3 O 4 nano-heterostructure composite, where a nanosheet-like Sn 3 O 4 structure with a thickness of 20 nm was decorated with hexagonal rodlike ZnO with 50-180 nm in width and 200-400 nm in length (Figure 15-I). Compared to pristine ZnO and Sn 3 O 4 , ZnO@Sn 3 O 4 showed a significantly superior photocatalytic activity towards the dye degradation as well as the hydrogen production via the water splitting, and the complete degradation of methylene blue was achieved within 40 min under natural sunlight (Figure 15-II).…”

“…Compared to pristine ZnO and Sn 3 O 4 , ZnO@Sn 3 O 4 showed a significantly superior photocatalytic activity towards the dye degradation as well as the hydrogen production via the water splitting, and the complete degradation of methylene blue was achieved within 40 min under natural sunlight (Figure 15-II). [174] Aiming to thiophene photocatalytic oxidative desulfurization, Mousavi-Kamazani and coworkers utilized a facile and single-step sonochemical method to prepare composite Cu 2 O-CeO 2 nanostructures from Ce(NO 3 ) 3 and Cu(NO 3 ) 2 (Figure 15-III). [175] Interestingly in the absence of ultrasound irradiation, the main product was not Cu 2 O-CeO 2 but CuO-CeO 2 , implying that ultrasound irradiation facilitated the reduction of Cu 2+ to Cu + .…”

“…Adhyapak et al attempted to merge hetero-valent tin oxide (Sn 3 O 4 ) with ZnO, since ZnO with a wide band gap (3.2 eV) could be a good alternative for band coupling with Sn 3 O 4 to fulfil the effective separation and transfer of photo-generated holes and electrons. 174 By a combined hydrothermal and sonochemical method, they synthesized a ZnO@Sn 3 O 4 nano-heterostructure composite, where a nanosheet-like Sn 3 O 4 structure with a thickness of 20 nm was decorated with hexagonal rod-like ZnO of 50–180 nm in width and 200–400 nm in length ( Fig. 15-I ).…”

Rational design direct Z-scheme BiOBr/g-C3N4 heterojunction with enhanced visible photocatalytic activity for organic pollutants elimination

“…Therefore, plenty of new technologies which can effectively decompose organic pollutants through redox reactions have emerged continuously. [1][2][3] Semiconductor photocatalytic degradation technology has attracted a wide research interest, 4,5 due to its unique advantages of the utilization visible light to excite semiconductor materials to produce highly efficient active groups. 6,7 Nevertheless, most semiconductor photocatalysts with a wide band gap can merely utilize the ultraviolet light approximately, which accounts for only 4% of the solar energy.…”