Synthesis and photocatalytic properties of core–shell structured α-Fe2O3@SnO2 shuttle-like nanocomposites

The core–shell structured α-Fe2O3@SnO2 shuttle-like nanocomposites were synthesized successfully by a simple solvothermal method. The structure and morphology were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results reveal that the diameter in the middle part and the length of the heteronanostructures are respectively 110 and 450 nm, and the thickness of the shell composed of 5 nm SnO2 nanoparticles is about 15 nm. The photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared α-Fe2O3@SnO2 core–shell shuttle-like nanocomposites were evaluated by the photocatalytic decolorization of a model pollutant Rhodamine-B (RhB) under ultraviolet light. The as-prepared core–shell shuttle-like nanocomposites showed much higher photocatalytic activity than that of α-Fe2O3 shuttle-like nanorods, SnO2 nanoparticles, and the mixture of α-Fe2O3 nanorods and SnO2 particles, which may be attributed to effective synergy between α-Fe2O3 and SnO2, and the special core–shell structures.