In-situ synthesis of highly efficient visible light driven stannic oxide/graphitic carbon nitride heterostructured photocatalysts

Novel and efficient visible-light-driven stannic oxide/graphitic carbon nitride heterostructured photocatalysts are prepared via a simple in-situ solvothermal method. Characterization results demonstrate that there exist strong interactions between SnO2 nanoparticles and g-C3N4 matrix, which indicates the formation of SnO2/g-C3N4 heterojunction. The as-synthesized SnO2/g-C3N4 composite exhibits improved efficiency for photodegradation of rhodamine B in aqueous solutions, with an apparent rate constant 6.5 times higher than that of commercial TiO2 (Degussa P25). The enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to synergistic effect between SnO2 and g-C3N4, resulting in effective interfacial charge transfer and prolonged charge-hole separation time. Moreover, SnO2/g-C3N4 composite photocatalysts possess excellent durability and stability after 6 recycling runs, and a possible photocatalytic mechanism is also proposed. This research highlights the promising applications of two dimensional g-C3N4 based composite photocatalysts in the field of waste water disposal and environmental remediation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.