In situ construction of an SnO2/g-C3N4 heterojunction for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

Herein, a strong heterojunction, consisting of SnO2 nanoparticles grown on layered g-C3N4 nanosheets, was rationally designed and successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method. The morphology, chemical structure, optical and electronic properties of the obtained SnO2/g-C3N4 hybrid nanocomposites were characterized. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of the novel photocatalysts was assessed. The results clearly indicate that the SnO2/g-CN-72.12% nanocomposite photocatalysts shows a stable cycle performance and exhibits significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity, which is 89 and 17 times higher than those of pure SnO2 and g-C3N4, respectively. The synergistic effect of the SnO2/g-C3N4 heterojunction can effectively accelerate the separation of photo-generated carriers and enhance the efficiency of interfacial charge transfer, which are proposed to be responsible for the enhancement of the photocatalytic activities. This study provides a low-cost and large-scale synthesis route for the production of visible light responsive photocatalysts that have potential in environmental purification applications.