Issue 45, 2011

Reactive and photocatalytic degradation of various water contaminants by laser ablation-derived SnOxnanoparticles in liquid

Abstract

Reactive non-stoichiometric tin oxide (SnOx) nanoparticles were facilely obtained by laser ablation of Sn in water using a fundamental nanosecond pulse laser. The size of the primary nanoparticles increased and the crystallinity spontaneously improved without heat treatment when the colloidal solutions were aged in the dark. Interestingly, such ageing-induced self-crystallization processes were considerably different from those in the colloidal solution illuminated by sunlight and/or ultraviolet light. Both the primary amorphous SnOx nanoparticles and the aged nanocrystals were used for water purification; the contaminants studied included methyl orange, methylene blue, pentachlorophenol, and dichromate. All removal treatments produced good results, and had high degradation rates. Comparison with experimental investigations revealed that nanoparticles synthesized using conventional methods, such as sol–gel synthesis, showed poor performance or had no effect on the removal of water contaminants. In contrast, SnOx nanoparticles derived by laser ablation in liquid possessed high surface reactivity, and the corresponding aged nanocrystals exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity compared with commercial SnO2 nanoparticles. These materials may be used in wastewater purification.

Graphical abstract: Reactive and photocatalytic degradation of various water contaminants by laser ablation-derived SnOx nanoparticles in liquid

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Jun 2011
Accepted
07 Sep 2011
First published
17 Oct 2011

J. Mater. Chem., 2011,21, 18242-18247

Reactive and photocatalytic degradation of various water contaminants by laser ablation-derived SnOx nanoparticles in liquid

Z. Tian, C. Liang, J. Liu, H. Zhang and L. Zhang, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, 21, 18242 DOI: 10.1039/C1JM12502H

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