Improved, photon conversion efficiency of (SnO2) doped cesium oxide (Cs) nanofibers for photocatalytic application under solar irradiation

Abstract

We report the synthesis of high quality Tin Oxide (SnO2) doped Cesium Oxide (Cs) nanofibers by hydrothermal method at room temperature. Composition, structure and morphology of the nanofibers were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). XRD assessed the crystal structure of the nanoplatelets which identified peaks associated with (110), (101) and (200) planes of hexagonal wurtzite-type SnO2 with lattice constants of a = b = 3.249 Å and c = 5.219 Å. XRD results also indicated that the crystalline properties of the doped samples were improved without affecting the parent lattice. The morphological and optical properties (SnO2) doped (Cs) nanosamples were characterized by HRTEM and UV-vis spectroscopy. The IR results showed high purity of products and indicated that the nanoplatelets are made up of Sn-O2 and Cs bonds. Absorption spectra exhibited an upward shift in characteristic peaks caused by the doping material, suggesting that crystallinity of both doped compounds is improved due to specific doping level. The Photoluminescence (PL) spectra are dominated by a strong narrow band edge emission tunable in the blue region of the visible spectra indicating a narrow size distribution of SnO2/Cs nanofibers.