Surfactant mediated facile fabrication of SnO2 quantum dots and their degradation behavior of humic acid

SnO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by microwave method using amino acid, l-lysine monohydrate and sodium dodecyl sulfate as surfactant. The study showed that SnO2 quantum dots (SnO2QDs) with average diameter of 2.3 nm was synthesized in this method. For the first time, photocatalytic performance of SnO2 QDs was examined by the degradation of humic acid under solar irradiation. It was observed that humic acid was completely degraded within 180 min under solar irradiation.