Hydrothermal synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic properties of Zn2SnO4

Nanosized Zn2SnO4 (ZTO) particles were successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal process in water/ethylene glycol mixed solution using amines (ethylamine, n-butylamine, n-hexylamine, and n-octylamine) as mineralizer. The products were characterized by X-ray diffractions (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N2 adsorption. The results indicated that the hydrothermal conditions, such as alkaline concentration (n-butylamine), reaction temperature, solvent composition, and the kind of amines, had an important influence on the composition, crystallinity, and morphology of the product. The as-synthesized ZTO samples exhibited high activities and durabilities for photodegradation of methyl orange and the activities were mainly affected by the crystallinities of the samples. A hexagonal-shaped ZTO (H-ZTO) sample was prepared in 0.53 M of n-butylamine solution at 180 °C for 20 h and its optical properties were characterized by UV–Vis diffuse reflectance and Photoluminescence (PL) spectra. Furthermore, the photocatalytic H2 evolution reaction from ethanol aqueous solution over H-ZTO was also investigated.

Graphical abstractNanosized Zn2SnO4 (ZTO) was successfully synthesized by hydrothermal process. Photocatalytic test showed that the samples exhibited high activity and durability for photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) and photocatalytic production H2 from ethanol aqueous solution.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide