High surface area SnO₂-Ta₂O₅ composite for visible light driven photocatalytic degradation of an organic dye

Abstract

SnO₂-Ta₂O₅ nanocomposite was synthesised by a facile co‐precipitation method and further calcined to obtain crystalline powder. Phase formation, morphology, bandgap and photo‐catalytic properties were analysed 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 mineralisation 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.