Zn₂SnO₄-Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanohybrids for Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalysis

Zn₂SnO₄-reduced graphene oxide photocatalysts were synthesized by using SnCl₄ 5H₂O, Zn(NO₃)₂ · 6H₂O and graphene oxide via hydrothermal process. The structure, morphology, specific surface area and photo response of the as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, Brunauer-emmett-teller surface area measurement and Photoluminescence emission spectra. Experimental results showed that the Zn₂SnO₄ nanoparticles, with 20–30 nm a size range, were uniformly dispersed on the surfaces of reduced graphene oxide. Moreover, the as-prepared Zn₂SnO₄-reduced graphene oxide photocatalysts exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activities for degradation of Rhodamine B compared to those of pure Zn₂SnO₄. When the amount of reduced graphene oxide was 4 wt%, it showed the highest photocatalytic efficiency of 99.7% for 240 min, and the photocatalytic efficiency was still 98.5% after it was recycled 4 times. It also possessed the band gap of 2.48 eV and specific surface area of 58.1 m² g⁻¹.