High Surface Area SnO2–Ta2O5 Composite for Visible Light‐driven Photocatalytic Degradation of an Organic Dye

Abstract SnO2–Ta2O5 nanocomposite was synthesized by a facile coprecipitation method and further calcined to obtain crystalline powder. Phase formation, morphology, bandgap and photocatalytic properties were analyzed using powder X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, UV‐Vis diffused reflectance spectroscopy, BET surface area and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. Effect of calcination temperature on the crystallinity of the composite was studied. The as‐prepared samples of SnO2, Ta2O5 and SnO2‐10wt%Ta2O5 composite as well as the calcined composite sample were tested for photocatalytic activity for methylene blue dye degradation under visible light. Photocatalytic studies reveal that the as‐prepared SnO2‐10wt%Ta2O5 composite showed the best photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) by harvesting visible‐light radiation efficiently. Further mineralization of methylene blue, estimated by COD analysis, is found to have degraded with an efficiency of 91.6%. The study demonstrates that heterostructure of SnO2–Ta2O5 nanocomposite could be applied in photocatalytic purification of organic pollutants.