Facile Synthesis of N-Doped SnO2 Nanoparticles: A Cocatalyst-Free Promising Photocatalyst for Hydrogen Generation

A facile solution-based one-step synthetic approach has been employed for an easy introduction of Nitrogen (N) into SnO(2)lattice under the mild condition for a cocatalyst free hydrogen generation by photocatalytic water splitting. The crystal structure and morphology of synthesized N doped SnO(2)nanoparticles were confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction and electron microscopic techniques. Analysis by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy confirms that 4.6 % N was present in SnO(2)lattice, while broadband observed in the Raman spectrum reveals the presence of oxygen vacancies and disordered structure due to N-doping. The nanoparticles exhibit high surface area (139.7 m(2)/g) and bandgap close to 3.45 eV as deduced from Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurement and Diffuse reflectance spectroscopic technique, respectively. The photocatalytic performance of the nanoparticles was evaluated by water splitting reaction for hydrogen generation using a photochemical reactor consisting of a Xenon lamp and was performed using different scavengers. It was found that out of various scavengers, maximum hydrogen yield, i. e., 169 mu mol/g was achieved by N doped SnO(2)nanoparticles with methanol and the order of scavengers for hydrogen generation using N doped SnO(2)nanoparticles is Methanol>EDTA>TEOA.