Photochemical Fabrication and Performance of Polyaniline Nanowire/SnO2 Composite Photocatalyst

A study on SnO2/polymer composite photocatalytic materials was carried out. The polyaniline (PANI) nanowires with determined morphology were employed as composite units to control the formation and recombination of SnO2 by a room temperature photochemical method to achieve PANI enhanced photocatalytic activity. PANI nanowires were directly dispersed in a mixed solution of SnSO4 and H2SO4 to obtain PANI nanowire/SnO2 nanoparticle composites by UV irradiation. The morphology and composition of the composites were analyzed, and it was found that the two components were interwoven and some particles grew directly on the nanowires. The photocatalytic activity of the composite under low power UV lamp was studied with rhodamine B solution as the target degradation pollutant. The results showed that PANI nanowires could obviously enhance the photocatalytic activity of the SnO2, and the enhancement effect changed regularly with the growth time of SnO2. The photocatalytic activity of the composite obtained in the optimal recombination time was nearly 3 times that of the pure SnO2. By measuring and analyzing on the energy level structure and the photocatalytic reaction process, it is considered that the formation of z-scheme heterojunction promotes the separation of photogenerated electrons-holes, and then enhances the photocatalytic activity of the material. The subsequent photochemical recombination SnO2 with polymer nanomaterials with regular morphology as components is a new recombination mode. It has the characteristics of green, easy to operate and cheap, easy to regulate SnO2 photocatalytic activity, and can promote SnO2 application in the field of photocatalysis.