Abstract

Background: The efficient removal of the environmental organic pollutants using the photocatalytic technology catalyzed by semiconductors has attracted great research interest in recent years. La₂O₃/SrSn(OH)₆ nanorods show enhanced photocatalytic activity towards crystal violet (CV).

Objective: The aim of this study is to obtain La₂O₃/SrSn(OH)₆ nanorods by a simple hydrothermal route using lanthanum acetate and SrSn(OH)6 nanorods, and explore the photocatalytic properties for CV degradation.

Methods: La₂O₃/SrSn(OH)₆ nanorods were obtained by a hydrothermal route using lanthanum acetate and SrSn(OH)₆ nanorods and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence (PL) and photocatalytic experiments.

Results: The composite nanorods comprise hexagonal SrSn(OH)₆ and cubic La₂O₃ phases. Some nanoscale particles attach to the surface of the nanorods with a diameter and length of about 100 nm and 1 μm, respectively. La₂O₃/SrSn(OH)₆ nanorods show a lower band gap value than the SrSn(OH)₆ nanorods. The photocatalytic reaction rate constant for the CV degradation using 15wt.%- La₂O₃/SrSn(OH)₆ nanorods is 3 times higher than that of the pure nanorods.

Conclusion: La₂O₃/SrSn(OH)₆ nanorods possess good reusability and stability for CV removal. The photocatalytic activity for the CV removal of the SrSn(OH)6 nanorods can be greatly enhanced by La₂O₃.

Keywords: La₂O₃, SrSn(OH)₆ nanorods, transmission electron microscopy, crystal violet, photocatalytic properties, environmental organic pollutants, semiconductor photocatalysts.