Facile Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Evaluation of InO/SnO Microsphere Photocatalyst for Efficient Degradation of Rhodamine B.

The tin dioxide (SnO) photocatalyst has a broad application prospect in the degradation of toxic organic pollutants. In this study, micron-sized spherical SnO and flower indium oxide (InO) structures were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method, and the InO/SnO composite samples were prepared by a "two-step method". Using Rhodamine B (RhB) as a model organic pollutant, the photocatalytic performance of the InO/SnO composites was studied. The photocurrent density of 1.0 wt.% InO/SnO was twice that of pure SnO or InO, and the degradation rate was as high as 97% after 240 min irradiation (87% after 120 min irradiation). The reaction rate was five times that of SnO and nine times that of InO. Combined with the trapping experiment, the transient photocurrent response, and the corresponding characterization of active substances, the possible degradation mechanism was that the addition of InO inhibited the efficiency of electron-hole pair recombination, accelerated the electron transfer and enhanced the photocatalytic activity.