Synthesis of nanosized SnS-TiO2 photocatalysts with excellent degradation effect of TBA under visible light irradiation

Abstract

SnS-TiO2 nanocomposites are synthesized using simple, cheap, and less toxic SnCl2 as the tin (II) precursor. The prepared nanoparticles are characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The XRD and TEM results indicate that the prepared product has SnS nanoparticles and a grain diameter of 30 nm. The DRS demonstrate that SnS-TiO2 possesses the absorption profile across the entire visible light region. The generation of reactive oxygen species is detected through the oxidation reaction from 1,5-diphenyl carbazide (DPCI) to 1,5-diphenyl carbazone (DPCO). It is found that the photocurrent density and photocatalytic effect increase with the modified SnS. Excellent catalytic degradation of Texbrite BA-L (TBA) solution is observed using the SnS-TiO2 composites under visible light irradiation. It is proposed that both the strong visible light absorption and the multiple exciton excitations contribute to the high visible light photocatalytic activity.