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 degrees 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)-O-center dot) 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.