Tin oxide nanocrystals embedded in nanopore arrays on stainless steel surface for photocatalytic applications

摘要

The immobilization of SnO_2 nanocrystals on solid substrates for practical photocatalytic applications suffers from poor adhesion that will lead to loss of photocatalytic activity and short service life. An efficient hydrother-mal synthesis of SnO_2 nanocrystals embedded in nanopore arrays on stainless steel surface was presented in this paper. The morphology, chemical composition and microstructure of the embedded tin oxide nanocrystals were investigated by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity and stability of SnO_2 nanocrystals was evaluated by pho-todegradation of methylene blue. SnO_2 nanocrystals embedded in nanopore arrays on stainless steel surface existed in a tetragonal rutile structure. The increasing of the hydrother-mal temperature will lead to the improvement in photocatalytic activity of SnO_2 nanocrystals. The SnO_2 nanocrystals prepared at 220 ℃ performed the highest photocatalytic activity and good photocatalytic stability, indicating the effective immobilization of SnO_2 nanocrystals on anodized stainless steel.