Synthesis of SnO2/SrTiO3 composite and photocatalytic activity for methylene blue degradation under sunlight

In this study, the SnO2/SrTiO3 composite has been fabricated by, firstly preparing SnO2 and SrTiO3 through, followed by coupling SnO2 and SrTiO3 by the hydrothermal method at 180 oC for 24 hours. The obtained materials were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformation infrared spectra (FT-IR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic activity of composite was assessed by degradation of methylene blue in water under sunlight. The composite exhibits a good photocatalytic activity compared to individual components (SnO2 and SrTiO3). An enhancement in photocatalytic activity of the composite with the presence of SnO2 has been observed. 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ) và tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) were used as quenchers for trapping photogenerated superoxide radical anions (•O2-) and hydroxyl radicals (•OH), respectively. In the presence of the quenchers, the photocatalytic activity of the composite has decreased significantly.