Improved Photocatalytic and Electrochemical Performance of Hydrothermally Synthesized Mg2SnO4 Nanocubes and their Effect on Loading with Activated Carbon

Highly crystalline Mg2SnO4 nanocubes were successfully synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method. Further activated carbon was loaded with Mg2SnO4 nanoparticles in order to enhance the photocatalytic performance. Photocatalytic performance of Mg2SnO4 nanocubes and activated carbon loaded Mg2SnO4 nanocomposites were examined by methyl green and methylene blue dye degradation under the exposure of UV light. However, results suggest that activated carbon loaded Mg2SnO4 nanocomposites has significantly enhanced the photocatalytic performance over Mg2SnO4 nanocubes. It is assumed that better photocatalytic activity is caused by the higher specific surface area of activated carbon loaded Mg2SnO4 nanocomposites. Furthermore, cyclic voltammetry was used to analyze the electrochemical properties of the samples. Results indicate that activated carbon significantly enhanced the electrochemical properties of Mg2SnO4 nanoparticles. Copyright © VBRI Press.