Study on the Photocatalytic Properties of Flower-Shaped SnO₂

Using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the surfactant from the precursors of SnCl₂·2H₂O, the flower-shaped nano composite of tin oxide (SnO₂) is prepared by the simple eco-friendly hydrothermal method. We can see that the as-prepared SnO₂ sample has a rutile phase crystal structure with regular-shaped nanosheets, and the nanosheets were cross-assembled to form nanoflowers. The band gap of the as-prepared SnO₂ sample is 2.26 eV, which is close to the calculated energy gap of 2.58 eV based on density functional theory. The sample is used to degrade the organic dye, and this preliminary application study indicates that the as-prepared SnO₂ sample has good stability and reusability in the visible light assisted degradation of methyl orange. Through capture experiments, it is determined that electrons and holes play a major role in the degradation process. The reaction mechanism is also analyzed to indicate the internal relationship between the as-prepared SnO₂ samples and its photocatalytic properties.