Mesoporous crystalline Ti_1-xSn_xO₂ (0 < x < 1) solid solution for a high-performance photocatalyst under visible light...

We report a facile and effective inorganic polycondensation combined with aerosol-spray strategy towards high-performance photocatalyst by fabricating mesoporous Ti_1-xSn_xO₂ (0 < x < 1) solid solution. Such Ti_1-xSn_xO₂ nanocrystals with high Sn-doped contents are self-assembled into mesoporous spheres can effectively promote visible-light harvest and high quantum yield, leading a longer lifetime of the photoelectron-hole pairs and less recombination. Such the photocatalysts enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). The representative Ti_0.9Sn_0.1O₂ and Ti_0.8Sn_0.2O₂ compounds reach an optimum degradation of ≈50% and 70%, respectively, after 120 min irradiation under visible irradiation. The mesoporous Ti_1-xSn_xO₂ solid solution could inhibit the recombination of electron-hole pairs, which promote reaction thermodynamics and kinetics for RhB degradation.