SnO2 doped ZnO nanostructures for highly efficient photocatalyst

•SnO2 doped ZnO nanostructures were synthesized using a facile solution route.•SnO2/ZnO nanostructures were employed as efficient photocatalyst.•All doped samples exhibited superior photodegradation efficiency than undoped ZnO.•0.5% SnO2/ZnO was observed the highest photoactivity.

A simple and facile chemical method to synthesize SnO2 doped ZnO nanostructures has been investigated in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a surfactant for highly efficient photocatalyst. The structural investigation indicated that the XRD patterns reveal highly crystalline ZnO nanoparticles. The FE-SEM images show that the synthesized SnO2 doped ZnO has aggregated layers with caves like structure. The newly prepared SnO2 doped ZnO nanostructures have been evaluated for photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light. The photodegradation of MB proceeds much more rapidly in the presence of SnO2 doped ZnO compared to the undoped ZnO nanoparticles. The photocatalytic performance was in the order of 0.5% SnO2/ZnO > 1.0% SnO2/ZnO > 0.2% SnO2/ZnO > undoped ZnO, suggesting that doping of SnO2 improves the photocatalytic activity of ZnO. These results indicate that SnO2 doped ZnO nanostructures are very promising to fabricate highly efficient photocatalysts.

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