Abstract
SnO2/ZnO nanomaterials were synthesized by sol-gel method using polyethylene glycol with different SnO2 contents. The synthesized samples were annealed at 600 degrees C. The effects of SnO2/ZnO were investigated Viz., molar ratios, morphology, optical and photocatalytic properties. The prepared samples were analyzed by XRD, TEM, SEM, FT-Raman spectroscopy, N-2 physical adsorption, FT-IR, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The optical band gaps of SnO2/ZnO nanocomposites were obtained from UV-diffuse reflectance spectroscopic studies. The photocatalytic activities of prepared samples increased with the decrease SnO2 content, which could be explained by increase in charge parting resulting from the coupling of ZnO with SnO2 due change in potential energy. Additionally, the SnO2/ZnO nanocomposite with the optimal molar ratio was used to change a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and then employed successfully for the electrochemical sensing of hydrazine at various concentrations using the amperometric technique. The modified GCE showed high sensitivity 1.16 mu A mu M(-1)cm(-2), linear dynamic range 2.5 to 25 mu M (R-2 = 0.9997), fast response time within 5s and a limit of detection (LOD) 0.36 mu M at (S/N=3).