Carbon coated SnO₂: Synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic performance

A carbon coated SnO₂ photocatalyst was prepared by using sucrose as a carbon source and the microwave hydrothermal method at the temperature as low as 180 °C. The resulting carbon coated SnO₂ was characterized by XRD, Raman, TEM, TG, UV-Vis adsorption and XPS. The carbon layer was found to have multiple functions, increase of the adsorption capability for organic dyes, enhancement of visible light absorption, and facilitating the separation of photogenerated charges. The prepared carbon coated SnO₂ exhibits high and stable photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under UV-Vis irradiation. Moreover, hydroxyl radicals (OH) are found to be the main active species generated in the oxidation reaction of RhB over the carbon coated SnO₂ photocatalyst. It is believed that this synthesis method can be extended to prepare a wide variety of functional nanohybrids for different applications.