Ultrathin nanosheet Sn3O4 for highly effective hydrogen evolution under visible light

Abstract A visible light sensitive ultrathin nanosheet Sn3O4 was synthesized by hydrothermal reaction using structure directing agent such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Nanosheet Sn3O4 with 2 nm thick, corresponding to two-fold Sn-O-Sn sheet stacked layer, significantly catalyzed hydrogen evolution from aqueous methanol solution under irradiation of visible light (λ > 400 nm), even without co-catalyst loading. The hydrogen evolution of the nanosheet Sn3O4 was much superior to bulk Sn3O4 and representative hydrogen evolution photocatalysts such as CdS and g-C3N4. The apparent quantum yield was 0.3 % competitive to that of co-catalyst loaded doped photocatalyst. The enhanced hydrogen evolution is attributed to the synergistic effect of structural advantage of nanosheet and negative CBM position appropriate for hydrogen evolution in visible light. The nanosheet Sn3O4 will prompt the further exploration for simple semiconductor photocatalyst composed of abundant, cheap, and environmentally benign metal oxides for hydrogen evolution from water.