Novel In2O3/SnO2 heterojunction 1D nanostructure photocatalyst for MB degradation

This work reports on the electrospinning of novel one-dimensional In2O3/SnO2-NPs heterojunction nanostructures and its photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under the ultraviolet light source of λ = 354 nm. The morphology and structure analysis using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), along with high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV/Vis spectroscopy revealed successful tin oxide nanoparticles modification of 1D indium oxide nanostructures and their enhanced optical properties compared to unmodified In2O3. Photocatalytic activity tests of MB photodegradation revealed almost 50% decomposition of the initial dye concentration for In2O3/SnO2 heterojunction, which accounted for almost 33% better photocatalytic performance compared to pristine In2O3. Moreover, a schematic diagram showing the mechanism of MB photodegradation In2O3/SnO2 1D nanostructures was proposed.