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Synthesis, Characterization and Photocatalytic Application of TiO2/SnO2 Nanocomposite Obtained Under Non-thermal Plasma Condition at Atmospheric Pressure

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Abstract

A plasma-assisted synthesis of TiO2/SnO2 nanocomposite is described. In this approach, a precursor containing a mixture of [TiCl3 and SnCl2] exposed to electric discharge was oxidized by plasma-generated reactive species (HO·/H2O = 2.85 eV/SHE). SnO2 microstructures with a diameter of 10–40 µm were coated by thin layers TiO2 nanorods with mean diameter of 6–8 nm. The obtained TiO2/SnO2 nanocomposite was characterized by transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared. TiO2/SnO2 nanocomposite was found to be a promising new material for the photocatalytic discoloration of aqueous Remazol Brilliant Blue-R dye under daylight and UVA light sources, due to the combined effects of large specific surface area and heterojunction which efficiently separates the electron–hole pairs delaying the charge recombination. The leaching test indicated that the nanocomposite is stable easily reusable.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the International Foundation for Sciences (IFS) for a JENWAY spectrophotometer offered to S.N., Special thanks are also addressed to the emeritus Professor Jean-Louis Brisset of Rouen University (France) for a Plasma reactor support and to the professor Eder C. Lima of Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul—UFRGS (Brazil) for some of the reagents used in this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Elie Acayanka, Duclair S. kuete, Georges Y. Kamgang, Samuel Laminsi & Peter T. Ndifon

  2. Department of Chemistry and Physics of Solids and Surfaces, Institut Jean Lamour, Parc de Saurupt, CS 50840, 54011, Nancy Cedex, France

    Duclair S. kuete

  3. Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, School of Wood, Water and Natural Resources, University of Dschang, Ebolowa Campus, P.O. Box 786, Ebolowa, Cameroon

    Serge Nzali

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  1. Elie Acayanka
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  2. Duclair S. kuete
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  4. Serge Nzali
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  5. Samuel Laminsi
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Correspondence to Elie Acayanka or Samuel Laminsi.

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Acayanka, E., kuete, D.S., Kamgang, G.Y. et al. Synthesis, Characterization and Photocatalytic Application of TiO2/SnO2 Nanocomposite Obtained Under Non-thermal Plasma Condition at Atmospheric Pressure. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 36, 799–811 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-016-9699-0

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