Surfactant-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of Zr doped SnO2 nanoparticles with photocatalytic and supercapacitor applications

Bare and Zr doped SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by hydrothermal technique using Sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) as a surfactant. The structural, functional, morphological, chemical composition and optical properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were characterized. The photocatalytic performance of the synthesized nanoparticles is carried out under sunlight irradiation using methyl violet (MV) dye. Additionally, the electrochemical behavior of the synthesized nanoparticles is investigated as supercapacitor electrode materials through cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies. The experimental results revealed that incorporation of Zr into the SnO2 matrix had increased the photocatalytic activity and electrochemical performance compare with the bare and SHMP assisted SnO2 nanoparticles.