Fabrication of sphere like plasmonic Ag/SnO2 photocatalyst for the degradation of phenol

In this study, we report a simple and fast synthetic route to synthesize Ag/SnO2 nanocomposite successfully via one step hydrothermal method, which exhibited enhanced efficiency towards the photodegradation of phenol for the first time. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to determine their structural, light absorption and morphological properties. The Ag/SnO2 nanocomposite showed an enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to pure SnO2. The reduced electron-hole recombination was studied by photoluminescence spectrum. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag/SnO2 nanocomposite may be attributed to the incorporation of Ag which enhances the visible light absorption, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) exhibited by Ag nanopartides and high separation efficiency of the photogenerated electron/hole pairs. Finally, the possible photocatalytic mechanism has also been proposed for the degradation of phenol under visible light irradiation. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.