Environmentally sustainable synthesis of SnO2 nanostructures for efficient photodegradation of industrial dyes

We report herein additive-free, environmentally sustainable, rapid, and phytosynthetic route for spherical-shaped SnO2 nanostructures (NSs) employing Syzygium cumini (SC) leaf extract. To get insights into structural, optical, morphological, elemental, and surface properties of obtained NSs, in-depth spectroscopic, microscopic, and BET analyses were employed. The tetragonal structure with 3.26 nm size was confirmed by XRD patterns, however, the Sn-O-Sn bond observed at 560-645 cm(-1) in FT-IR suggests the formation of SnO2. The surface area obtained for SnO2 NSs is 58.43 m(2)/g. The SnO2 NSs showed excellent dye removal efficiency for methyl orange (MO) (88%) and methylene blue (MB) (96%) within 180 and 120 min, respectively. The relevance of point of zero charge (pH(pzc)) for the degradation of dyes is also discussed. Here, the novel green mediator for the synthesis of SnO2 is reported and efficiently it explored in photocatalysis applications.

Automated summary

In this study, a novel and environmentally sustainable method for the synthesis of spherical-shaped SnO2 nanostructures (NSs) using Syzygium cumini (SC) leaf extract was reported. Spectroscopic, microscopic, and BET analyses were employed to characterize the structural, optical, morphological, elemental, and surface properties of the obtained NSs. The SnO2 NSs exhibited high dye removal efficiency for methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) within relatively short time periods. The relevance of point of zero charge (pH(pzc)) for the degradation of dyes was also discussed.