Morphology-controlled synthesis of CoSn(OH)6 nanocrystallines for enhanced photocatalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol

In this work, the different shaped CoSn(OH) 6 nanocrystallines were prepared by hydrothermal method. The morphology, microstructure, and composition of the prepared nanocrystallines were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and other methods. The optical properties of CoSn(OH) 6 nanocrystallines with different morphologies were analyzed using UV–vis DRS. With the reduction of 4-nitrophenol as a model reaction, the photocatalytic performance of CoSn(OH) 6 nanocrystallines with the different morphologies was investigated. The results show that the CoSn(OH) 6 nanorings significantly improved the photocatalytic reduction 4-nitrophenol performance. The conversion rate of 4-nitrophenol reached 94% within 6 min. Finally, a potential mechanism for the photocatalytic process of CoSn(OH) 6 nanorings is discussed.