Preparation of C60 Nanowhiskers-SnO2 Nanocomposites and Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes.

C60 nanowhiskers were prepared using a liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation (LLIP) method. Tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles were synthesized by a reaction of tin (IV) chloride pentahydrate with ammonium nitrate in an electric furnace. The C60 nanowhiskers-SnO2 nanocomposites were calcined in an electric furnace at 700 °C under an inert argon gas atmosphere for 2 h. The crystallinity, morphology and optical properties of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and UV-vis spectrophotometry. The photocatalytic activity of the C60 nanowhiskers-SnO2 nanocomposites in the degradation of the organic dyes, such as methylene blue, methyl orange, rhodamine B, and brilliant green, under ultraviolet light at 254 nm by UV-vis spectrophotometry was evaluated and compared with that of C60 nanowhiskers and SnO2 nanoparticles. The experimental results showed that C60 nanowhiskers-SnO2 nanocomposites exhibited remarkably higher photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes compared to C60 nanowhiskers and SnO2 nanoparticles.