Solid-state synthesis of SnO2-graphene nanocomposite for photocatalysis and formaldehyde gas sensing

A facile solid-state synthetic route has been developed to prepare a tin oxide-graphene (SnO2-graphene) nanocomposite. Graphene decorated with tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles was synthesized by in situ solid-state chemical reaction at room temperature. The obtained SnO2-graphene nanocomposite has been investigated for applications as a photocatalyst to degrade organic contaminants in water and a chemical sensor to detect various vapours. The experiment results show that the SnO2-graphene nanocomposite exhibited improved performances for photocatalytic decomposition of Methyl Orange and Rhodamine B, and formaldehyde sensing comparable with the SnO2 nanoparticles. The enhancement of properties is proposed to be related to the large specific surface area of the nanocomposite and the good electronic characteristics of graphene.