Fabrication and photocatalytic characterization of SnO2 and SnO2/Tio2 nanostructure films

Pure spherical-like SnO2 and agglomerated spherical SnO2/TiO2 nanostructures (NS) films were effectively synthesized via hydrothermal route and modest combination of pulse laser ablation besides hydrothermal (PLAL-H) methods, respectively. The as-prepared samples were deposited on glass substrates at growth temperature 100 °C and characterized by FESEM, X-ray diffraction, and UV-Vis absorption and Photoluminescence (PL) measurements. Both samples exhibit a pure tetragonal rutile and anatase polycrystalline structure. The PL spectrum of pure SnO2 Ns reveals five emission peaks in UV and visible regions. In contrast, a red shift in UV emission peak was clearly observed in SnO2/TiO2 nanocomposite spectrum and disappeared all visible emission peaks. Moreover, the samples as photocatalysts films were examined under sunlight irradiation driven photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye. The findings exposed that the photodegradation efficiency toward MB dye at maximum irradiation time 150 min was mostly similar around 21.5 % of both as-growth films.