Fabrication of SnO2/SnS2 hybrids by anchoring ultrafine SnO2 nanocrystals on SnS2 nanosheets and their photocatalytic properties

Ultrafine SnO2 nanocrystals with sizes of ~4 nm have been successfully loaded on the SnS2 nanosheets to fabricate SnO2/SnS2 hybrids via a facile hydrothermal method. The obtained samples are well characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis spectroscopy, photoluminence (PL) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The experimental results indicate that the SnO2 nanocrystals of ~4 nm are well dispersed and intimately anchored on the SnS2 nanosheets to form nanosized heterojunctions, which can be favorable to the separation of photo-generated holes and electrons. Consequently, the SnO2/SnS2 hybrids demonstrate obviously enhanced photocatalytic activities for reduction of Cr (VI) under visible light compared with both the bare SnO2 and SnS2.