A new SnS2-BiFeO3/reduced graphene oxide photocatalyst with superior photocatalytic capability under visible light irradiation

Herein, we report the preparation of SnS2 nanoflakes decorated with bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets. The crystal structures and morphology results of composite indicated that spherical BiFeO3 nanoparticles were homogeneously attached onto the surface of SnS2 nanoflakes with the decoration of rGO sheets. The optimized photocatalyst, i.e. SnS2 (1.5)-BiFeO3/rGO (0.15) composite not only exhibites the highest photocatalytic performance for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and Methyl orange (MO) as model reaction under visible light illumination among the individual SnS2 and BiFeO3 photocatalysts but also retains the stable photodegradation efficiency of >95% for at least 5 cycles. The significant enhancement in photoactivity under visible light illumination can be attributed to the separation and transfer of charge carriers and provides the increased number of photocatalytic active sites. According to the obtained results, a plausible mechanism of the photodegradation of dyes under visible-light irradiation in the aqueous system was finally discussed. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.