SnO2/α-Fe2O3 nanoheterostructure with novel architecture: structural characteristics and photocatalytic properties

Abstract

SnO₂/α-Fe₂O₃ nanoheterostructures with novel architecture are fabricated by a facile two-step hydrothermal process. The composite products exhibit morphology with six-fold symmetry resulting from the heteronucleation and crystallographically-oriented growth of SnO₂ nanorods on the regular surfaces of the hollowed α-Fe₂O₃ nanoprisms. The visible photocatalytic properties of the SnO₂/α-Fe₂O₃ nanoheterostructures are found to be superior to their components, attributed to the charge separation effect of the hetero-interfaces between the SnO₂ and α-Fe₂O₃ phases.