Enhanced photocatalytic performance of Fe-doped SnO2 nanoarchitectures under UV irradiation: synthesis and activity

A facile, sol–gel method has afforded highly crystalline, Fe-doped SnO2 nanoarchitectures with efficient photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under ultraviolet irradiation. The effects of iron modification to tin dioxide were investigated. The structural properties were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, gas sorption (adsorption/desorption) techniques, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The photocatalytic activity of these materials was studied by examining the degradation of RhB with pure SnO2 and each Fe modified sample (3 and 5 %), all annealed at 350 °C. Diffraction results reveal that the synthesized nanocrystals are ~3 nm in diameter. Gas sorption analyses detail high-specific surface areas (>330 m2 g−1). Electron microscopy studies illustrate the enhanced porosity brought on through annealing. EDS confirms the presence of Fe in the most active Fe-modified SnO2 sample. It is found that the 5 % Fe-modified SnO2 degrades RhB by more than half after 2 h.