Controlled synthesis of magnetic iron oxides@SnO2 quasi-hollow core–shell heterostructures: formation mechanism, and enhanced photocatalytic activity

• DOI: 10.1039/c1nr10728c
• Publication Date: 2011-09-23T10:56:11Z
• Authors: Wei Wu; Shaofeng Zhang; Feng Ren; Xiangheng Xiao; Juan Zhou; Changzhong Jiang
• Keywords: Light; Macromolecular Substances; Surface Properties; Molecular Conformation; Tin Compounds; Ferric Compounds; 01 natural sciences; 7. Clean energy; Catalysis; Nanostructures; 0104 chemical sciences; Magnetics; Semiconductors; Materials Testing; Particle Size; Crystallization; Porosity

Iron oxide/SnO(2) magnetic semiconductor core-shell heterostructures with high purity were synthesized by a low-cost, surfactant-free and environmentally friendly hydrothermal strategy via a seed-mediated method. The morphology and structure of the hybrid nanostructures were characterized by means of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The morphology evolution investigations reveal that the Kirkendall effect directs the diffusion and causes the formation of iron oxide/SnO(2) quasi-hollow particles. Significantly, the as-obtained iron oxides/SnO(2) core-shell heterostructures exhibited enhanced visible light or UV photocatalytic abilities, remarkably superior to as-used α-Fe(2)O(3) seeds and commercial SnO(2) products, mainly owing to the effective electron hole separation at the iron oxides/SnO(2) interfaces.