SnO2−x/Sb2O3 composites synthesized by mechanical milling method with excellent photocatalytic properties for isopropyl alcohol oxidation

The photocatalytic reclamation of the environment requires improved catalysts, as severe charge recombination currently limits their practical application. This study describes a simple synthesis of SnO2−x/Sb2O3 composite by the mechanical milling method. The coupling of SnO2−x possessing oxygen vacancies (OVs) with Sb2O3 is a new approach for obtaining materials with outstanding photocatalytic properties. For the photo-oxidation of isopropanol (IPA) within 5 h, the acetone yield over SnO2−x/Sb2O3 composite with mass ratio of 1:4 was 22.67 and 10.5 times higher than those of SnO2−x and Sb2O3, respectively, and the carbon dioxide output was 13.29 and 7.46 times higher than those of SnO2−x and Sb2O3, respectively. This results showed that the OVs-induced SnO2−x/Sb2O3 heterostructures have a very high IPA photo-oxidation catalytic degradation activity, even after six cycles with no obvious decline. Combination of defect engineering and heterojunction can be a powerful tool for obtaining broad light absorption and high photo-induced charge separation efficiency, which contributes to improving the photocatalytic IPA degradation property.