Fabrication of Bi 2 Sn 2 O 7 -ZnO heterostructures with enhanced photocatalytic activity

ZnO microspheres synthesized by a hydrolysis method were sensitized with Bi 2 Sn 2 O 7 (BSO) nanoparticles prepared using a hydrothermal method at different concentrations. Various characterization methods were employed to study the microstructural, morphological, optical and photocatalytic properties of the BSO-ZnO heterostructures. The effect of the BSO concentration on the photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared samples was also investigated. The 12.5BSO-ZnO sample exhibits the highest photocatalytic efficiency. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency is ascribed to an effective separation of the photogenerated electrons and holes due to the presence of the BSO-ZnO heterojunction.