Self-assembled ultra-small zinc stannate nanocrystals with mesoscopic voids via a salicylate templating pathway and their photocatalytic properties

Abstract

Self-assembled, tiny zinc stannate nanocrystals with controlled crystalline phases of ZnSnO₃ (MZS-1) and Zn₂SnO₄ (MZS-2) together with mesoscopic void spaces have been synthesized via a salicylate templating method with particle dimensions of ca. 1–2 nm and 17–20 nm for MZS-1 and 2, respectively. These nanomaterials have been thoroughly characterized by powder XRD, HR TEM, N₂-sorption, TG-DTA and UV-visible spectroscopic tools. Self-aggregation of the tiny nanoparticles could be responsible for these interparticle mesopores in these zinc stannate nanocrystals. The Zn₂SnO₄ nanomaterial showed higher photocatalytic activity over that of ZnSnO₃ in the photodegradation of Rhodamine B under the irradiation of UV/visible light.