Simple salt-assisted combustion synthesis of Nd2Sn2O7-SnO2 nanocomposites with different amino acids as fuel: an efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of methyl orange dye

Highly photocatalytically active Nd2Sn2O7-SnO2 nanocomposites have been prepared through a simple salt-assisted combustion approach. NaCl as dispersing agent and different amino acids as fuel and capping agent have been utilized to prepare Nd2Sn2O7-SnO2 nanocomposites for the first time. The as-obtained Nd2Sn2O7-SnO2 nanocomposites have been analyzed by TEM, FT-IR, UV-Vis, EDX, FESEM, and XRD. According to the FESEM and XRD investigations of the as-synthesized nanocomposites, it was found that grain size, shape and purity of the nanocomposites are controlled by setting the factors such as the tin source and amino acid type. Additionally, the photocatalytic behaviour of Nd2Sn2O7-SnO2 nanocomposites was evaluated by photodegradation of methyl orange dye.