Development of Ag coupled SnO2 nanocatalyst for effective cleaning of wastewater by sonocatalysis process

The contamination of water resources by industrial pollutants has accelerated the search for efficient and sustainable methods for wastewater treatment. In this study, silver (Ag)-tin oxide (SnO 2 ) nanocomposites (NCs) were developed and used as nanocatalysts for the ultrasound-aided (30 kHz and 160 W) degradation of methylene blue (MB), as a model pollutant dye. The Ag- SnO 2 NCs were synthesized by a simple, cost-effective sonochemical method, wherein hexagonal SnO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) (average size ∼55 nm) were coupled with Ag NPs (∼20 nm). Ag NPs concentration was varied to make different Ag-SnO 2 NCs. Comprehensive characterizations of the synthesized NCs were conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV–visible spectroscopy to analyse their structural properties, chemical composition, surface morphology, and optical properties. The sonocatalytic efficiency (SCE) of the bare SnO 2 and Ag-SnO 2 NCs was measured and it has been found that Ag-SnO 2 NCs exhibited a significantly higher degradation efficiency (∼91 %) compared to bare SnO 2 NPs (62 %). The creation of excess carriers in Ag and SnO 2 due to the ultrasound-assisted cavitation process, along with the effective modulation of carrier concentration and lifetime in SnO 2 through the attachment of Ag NPs, results in a high sonocatalytic degradation efficiency in Ag-SnO 2 NCs. The present findings demonstrate the potential of Ag-SnO 2 NCs as promising sonocatalysts for efficient and scalable wastewater treatment applications. • Ag-SnO 2 NCs used as efficient sonocatalysts for degrading methylene blue dye. • Ag- SnO 2 NCs synthesized by simple and cost effective sonochemical method. • Ag- SnO 2 NC showed ∼91 % sonocatalytic efficiency compared to 62 % for bare SnO 2 NPs. • Ultrasound-induced cavitation and Ag- SnO 2 synergy enhance sonocatalytic efficiency.