Hydrothermal synthesis, characterization and enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity of Co-doped Zn2SnO4 nanoparticles

•Co-doped Zn2SnO4 nanoparticles were synthesized by a hydrothermal method.•The effect of Co doping content on photocatalytic activity of Zn2SnO4 were investigated.•The maximum degradation rate of RhB was 93% when Co doping content was 2 mol%.•A possible mechanism of photocatalytic degradation of RhB was proposed.

Various molar concentrations of Co-doped Zn2SnO4 nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermal method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by XRD, XPS, FESEM, TEM, UV-Vis and PL. The result of XPS revealed that the Co dopant displayed a chemical state of Co2+ in Zn2SnO4 lattice. UV-Vis results revealed that the absorption edge of samples shifted towards visible light region gradually with the increase of Co doping content. The PL intensity weakened significantly for the Co-doped Zn2SnO4, which indicates that the recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes was suppressed strongly. The photocatalytic activity of Zn2SnO4 was observed by photodegradation of RhB under visible light irradiation. The influences of Co doping content on photocatalytic activity of Zn2SnO4 were investigated. The experiment results indicated that the maximum degradation rate of RhB was 93% in 120 min when Co2+ molar concentration was 2 mol%. Furthermore, a possible mechanism of photocatalytic degradation of RhB was discussed.

Graphical abstractThe schematic diagram of visible light driven photocatalytic reaction happened on the surface of Co-doped ZTO nanoparticles.Download high-res image (80KB)Download full-size image