Sn₂₁Cl₁₆(OH)₁₄O₆: a promising novel photocatalyst for methyl orange degradation

Sn₂₁Cl₁₆(OH)₁₄O₆ was prepared using SnCl₂, NaOH, and surfactant powder through a simple solid-phase reaction. The effects of surfactant addition on the phase composition, morphology, and photocatalytic properties of the photocatalyst were investigated. Results showed that the as-synthesized nanostructured Sn₂₁Cl₁₆(OH)₁₄O₆ had an average particle size of approximately 50–200 nm and a band gap of 3.82 eV. The addition of surfactants promoted the decomposition of Sn₂₁Cl₁₆(OH)₁₄O₆ into SnO and Sn and improved the photocatalytic property of Sn₂₁Cl₁₆(OH)₁₄O₆. The cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-modified sample possessed excellent photocatalytic properties and degraded 98.9% of methyl orange within 60 min under visible-light irradiation. (paper)