Synthesis of MgSnO3 nanoparticles by co-precipitation method and investigation of their photocatalytic activity for degradation of malachite green dye

Metal metastannates, with structures closely related to the perovskite one, are of particular interest due to their unusual dielectric and semiconducting properties, leading to various applications such as thermally stable capacitors, ceramic dielectric bodies, gas and humidity sensors and battery electrode materials. Cubic perovskite type of metal stannates (MSnO3) have attracted considerable attention for potential applications [1,2]. With the development of urbanization and industrialization, environmental problems have become increasingly serious. Photocatalysis based on semiconductors has been investigated due to the demand for organic dyes degradation. Organic dyes, like malachite green (MG) and methyl orange (MO), are toxic and hardly decompose quickly. Photocatalytic degradation of MG is of high performance and cost-effective, it seldom discharges any perilous chemicals [3,4]. In this work, MgSnO3 nanoparticles have been synthesized using co-precipitation method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern was used to determine the structure of MgSnO3 nanoparticles. The presence of MgSnO3 nanoparticles was confirmed by the FT-IR spectrum. The details of the surface morphology and particle size of MgSnO3 nanoparticles were obtained by Scanning Electron Microscopic analysis (SEM). The photocatalytic activity of MgSnO3 nanoparticles was investigated for malachite green (MG) degradation under visible light irradiation. The MgSnO3 nanoparticles photocatalyst exhibited superior photocatalytic activity, and about 98% of MG was removed within 50 minutes of irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the effective visible light absorption and separation of electrons and holes. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that the MgSnO3 NPs photocatalyst has great potential in environmental remediation.