A Simple Strategy for the Preparation of g-C3N4/SnO2 Nanocomposite Photocatalysts

Composite photocatalysts based on graphite-like carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and SnO2 nanoparticles were prepared by heating a mixture of SnO2 nanoparticles and melamine in a muffle furnace. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible light absorbance spectra, FT-IR and TG analyses. The kinetic constant over an optimized nanocomposite catalyst was 1.37 h–1, which was 4.54 times higher than that over the pristine g-C3N4 towards the decomposition of rhodamine B under visible light. The significantly higher photocatalytic activity of the composite photocatalysts was attributed to the enhancement of electron–hole separation at the interface between g-C3N4 and SnO2.