ZnSn(OH)6 Photocatalyst for Methylene Blue Degradation: Electrolyte‐Dependent Morphology and Performance

Synthesis of nanomaterial with novelty morphology is one of the major effects to its performance. In this study, photocatalyst ZnSn(OH)6 was synthesized based on one step cationic membrane electrolysis technology using zinc plate as Zn source and aqueous sodium stannate as Sn source. Effects of electrolytic current density and supporting electrolyte including NaCl, NaAc and sodium citrate (NaCt) on the morphology and performance of ZnSn(OH)6 were studied. The crystal structure and morphology of the synthesized ZnSn(OH)6 was characterized by XRD, HR‐TEM, FE‐SEM, EDX, specific surface area by BET, chemical bond by FT‐IR and UV‐Vis‐DRS. The photocatalytic performance of the synthesized ZnSn(OH)6 catalyst was evaluated by the degradation of 10 mg/L methylene blue (MB) under UV light, the results showed that the photocatalyst ZnSn(OH)6 synthesized at 0.03 A/cm2 current density in 0.5 mol/L NaCl electrolyte exhibits the best photocatalytic activity as 100% degradation of MB after 40 min UV radiation. The photodegradation mechanism is also proposed and discussed. The results exhibited that electrolysis synthesized ZnSn(OH)6 is a promising photo‐catalyst for aqueous organic pollutant degradation. The method of cationic membrane electrolysis to prepare ZnSn(OH)6 is useful technology for morphology‐control, the supporting electrolyte play important role in the growth of ZnSn(OH)6. The results of this work indicate that the synthesized ZnSn(OH)6 exhibit different photocatalytic performance toward methylene blue degradation