Synthesis, Characterization and Efficient Photocatalytic Activity of Hydrothermally Synthesized SnO2 Nanosheets

A systematic investigation on the preparation of SnO2 nanosheets using cost effective hydrothermal method was studied. Tetragonal phase SnO2 were synthesized using tin(II)chloride dihydarte and sodium hydroxide as precursor solution with basic water mixing. The synthesized samples were examined by XRD, HRSEM, EDAX, FTIR and UV-visible spectroscopy. The nanocrystalline size and strain of the SnO2 nanosheets have been inspected by Williamson-Hall analysis. The quantum size effect outcomes in spectacular variation in the optical and vibrational appearances of nanostructured materials likened to their bulk counterparts. Nanosheets like optical image were observed in the microscopy studies. Functional tests of SnO2 nanosheets include photocatalytic effect in the degradation of methylene blue (MB). The result revealed that SnO2 nanosheets degraded 84% of MB under UV light illumination. Dielectric studies such as dielectric constant, loss and ac conductivity were determined.