Construction of 3D hierarchical SnO2 microspheres from porous nanosheets towards NO decomposition

Three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical architectures are currently attracting worldwide interest owing to their fascinating morphology-dependent properties and potential applications. Herein we constructed SnO2 microspheres with 3D hierarchical flower-like architectures self-assembled with porous SnS2 nanosheets by a facile hydrothermal method with subsequent calcination. The chemical and physical properties as well as photocatalytic application of SnO2 microspheres were investigated. The size and morphology were examined with scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The phase and crystalline structure were determined with powder X-ray diffraction. The UV-Vis absorption property was determined with UV-Vis diffuse reflectance. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated with nitrogen monoxide (NO) decomposition under UV-Vis light irradiation. The effects of calcination temperature on morphology and NO decomposition were also studied. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.