Nanodiamond incorporated in SnO composites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

In this study, SnO composites with incorporated nanodiamonds (NDs) were synthesized by a simple ultrasonic reaction method using SnCl2 and NH4HCO3 as raw materials. Results showed that the SnO/ND composites comprised SnO, SnO2, and diamond. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) results indicated that a tight-contact interface formed between the SnO nanosheets and NDs. All SnO/ND composites exhibited a high efficiency for degrading methyl orange (MO) under visible light. The optimum degradation rate of MO was obtained for SnO/9.2% ND composite (98%) and SnO (16.6%) sample after 45 min of visible-light irradiation.