Antimony-doped SnO2-polythiophene photocatalyst: synthesis, characterization, and optimization for sunlight-driven dye degradation

Antimony-doped Tin Oxide (ATO) and its nanocomposite with polythiophene (PTh) were studied for Methylene blue (MB) degradation. The prepared photocatalysts were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, SEM-EDX, as well as XRD. The photocatalytic activity was examined under ambient sunlight and optimized conditions were found to be neutral pH, composite dose (30 mg/100mL), and H2O2 (5 mM) using ATO-PTh nanocomposite. MB was effectively degraded (~98%) within 90 min under optimized conditions. The degradation was studied through radical scavenging, reusability, and degradation kinetics. The response of different influencing parameters for degradation of dye by nanocomposites was assessed using the response surface methodology.