Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of Sn-ZnO nanorod array coatings

Sn-ZnO nanorod array coatings with a low concentration of tin dioxide (0, 0.5, 1, 5 mol.%) were obtained by hydrothermal method on glass or polycore substrates. The synthesized materials are crystallized in the wurtzite structure, which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. According to scanning electron microscopy arrays of nanorods have an average length 120-180 nm and a diameter of 57-77 nm. It was established that an increase in the temperature of hydrothermal synthesis (from 95 degrees C to 200 degrees C) leads to a decrease in particle sizes of pure ZnO. All obtained materials have photocatalytic activity in the visible light range. The best photocatalytic activity - 82% degradation of methylene blue in 3 h of visible light irradiation - was shown for material containing 1 mol.% of tin dioxide. This hydrothermal method opens a new pathway for developing new nanostructured photocatalysts.

Automated summary

Sn-ZnO nanorod array coatings with low concentration of tin dioxide were synthesized on glass or polycore substrates using hydrothermal method. The materials exhibited photocatalytic activity in the visible light range, with the best activity observed for the sample containing 1 mol.% of tin dioxide.