Chemical Physics | 2019
One-step hydrothermal synthesis of SnO2-MoS2 composite heterostructure for improved visible light photocatalytic performance
Abstract
Abstract The formation of a heterostructure in a photocatalyst is considered to be an effective method for improving photocatalytic performance. In this paper, the SnO2-MoS2 heterostructures are synthesized by a simple one-step hydrothermal method. The structure, composition and morphology of the samples are characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, (HR)TEM, and Raman spectroscopy. The photocatalytic performance of the samples are judged by the degradation of two dyes, i.e., methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB), under visible light. The photocatalytic performance of all composite samples is better than that of pure MoS2 or SnO2. In particular, 60% SnO2-MoS2 has the best photocatalytic performance, which is characterized by its large degradation rate to pollutants and excellent reusability. The high-efficiency photocatalytic activity of the SnO2-MoS2 heterostructure is due to the high specific surface area and enhanced absorption of visible light in its composite structure, which effectively improves the separation of electron-hole pairs.