Study of an enhanced photocatalytic hybrid MnO2@SnO2 core-shell Z-scheme nano heterojunction for efficient H2 production

The usage of non-renewable carbon-base fuel energy have created multiple issues such as global warming, environmental degradations etc. Replacing these non-renewable sources of energy with renewable energy (photocatalytic H-2 production) is a hot topic for researchers due to its sustainability and eco-friendliness. In this work MnO2, SnO2 and their nanocomposites have been synthesized through simple hydrothermal and co-precipitation methods. The purpose of such nanocomposite fabrication is to synthesize a suitable heterostructure for maximum solar energy harvesting in water splitting. All the prepared samples of pure MnO2, SnO2, and nanocomposites have been characterized through various techniques, which confirm the structure, functional groups, absorbance, morphology, elemental compositions, chemical compositions, and increase in photo-induced current as well as the photostability of such nanocomposites. The highest apparent quantum yield of the optimized MnO2@SnO2 (first time reported as photocatalyst for H-2 production) were 21.7% at wavelength 420 nm, which is the highest ever reported for such (MnO2@SnO2) nanocomposite. The enhanced photocatalytic behavior for H-2 production has been observed which is 3.67 times greater than pristine MnO2. Such an enhancement is due to the synergistic effect of SnO2 NPs decorated on the NTs of MnO2. The present work provides a novel approach to produce hydrogen with high performance as efficient solar harvesting.