title: Hydrothermal synthesis, phase structure, optical and photocatalytic properties of Zn2SnO4 nanoparticles.
abstract: Zinc stannate (Zn2SnO4 or ZTO) nanoparticles were synthesized via hydrothermal method using NaOH as a mineralizer. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) of the synthesized ZTO nanoparticles revealed the formation of highly pure ZTO phase with the spinel-like structure. The nanoparticles have spherical shape with an average size of about 25 nm. The Raman spectrum of the sample was dominated by the A(1g) vibration mode of pure ZTO phase. From UV-Vis measurement, a band gap E(g) of 3.465 eV was determined. The photocatalytic activity of the ZTO nanoparticles was evaluated for the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. The influence of catalyst concentration and irradiation time on the photocatalytic process was investigated. The ZTO catalyst showed the best photocatalytic performance at a concentration of 0.2 g/L, and the photodecomposition of RhB followed first-order kinetics with a rate constant k=0.0249 min(-1). The ZTO-assisted photocatalytic degradation of RhB occurred via two competitive processes: a photocatalytic process and a photosensitized process. The detection of hydroxyl radicals by fluorescence measurements suggests that these species play an important role in the photocatalytic process.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Matériaux Minéraux et leurs Applications, Centre National de Recherches en Sciences des Matériaux, B.P. 95, Hammam-Lif 2050, Tunisia; Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université Tunis-El Manar, 2092, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Monaam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ben Ali
authors.affiliation: Institut d'Electronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie (IEMN), UMR CNRS 8520, Université Lille 1, Avenue Poincaré - BP60069, 59652 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France; Département de Chimie, Faculté des Sciences Exactes, Université de Bejaia, Algeria.
authors.forename: Fatiha
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barka-Bouaifel
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Matériaux Minéraux et leurs Applications, Centre National de Recherches en Sciences des Matériaux, B.P. 95, Hammam-Lif 2050, Tunisia; Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université Tunis-El Manar, 2092, Tunisia. Electronic address: elhouichethabib@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Habib
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elhouichet
authors.affiliation: UMET, UMR CNRS 8207, Université Lille 1, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cédex, France.
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sieber
authors.affiliation: UMET, UMR CNRS 8207, Université Lille 1, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cédex, France.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Addad
authors.affiliation: LASIR, UMR CNRS 8516, Université Lille 1, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cédex, France.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boussekey
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Matériaux Minéraux et leurs Applications, Centre National de Recherches en Sciences des Matériaux, B.P. 95, Hammam-Lif 2050, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Mokhtar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Férid
authors.affiliation: Institut d'Electronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie (IEMN), UMR CNRS 8520, Université Lille 1, Avenue Poincaré - BP60069, 59652 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France. Electronic address: rabah.boukherroub@iemn.univ-lille1.fr.
authors.forename: Rabah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boukherroub
keywords: Hydrothermal synthesis; Mechanism; Optical properties; Photocatalysis; Visible light; Zn(2)SnO(4) nanoparticles