Hydrothermal Synthesis of Visible Light Active SnO2-SnS2 Nanocomposite Photocatalyst for the Reduction of Cr(VI) in Water
A low temperature (130 °C) hydrothermal method was proposed for the synthesis of SnO2-SnS2 nanocomposite. The composition, structure and optical property of the as-synthesized SnO2-SnS2 nanocomposite were characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, and its photocatalytic activity was tested by the reduction of Cr(VI) in water under visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation. It was found that the as-synthesized SnO2-SnS2 nanocomposite exhibited high photocatalytic activity in the reduction of Cr(VI) in water under visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation, whereas SnO2 nanoparticles displayed no photocatalytic activity in the reduction of Cr(VI) in water under visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation.