The present study demonstrates the hydrothermal synthesis of SnO2 quantum dots (QDs) doped with different concentrations (2, 4 wt %) of magnesium (Mg) and a fixed amount of chitosan (CS). The obtained samples were investigated through a number of characterizations for optical analysis, elemental composition, crystal structure, functional group presence, interlayer spacing, and surface morphology. The XRD spectrum revealed the tetragonal structure of SnO2 with no significant variations occurring upon the addition of CS and Mg. The crystallite size of QDs was reduced by incorporation of dopants. The optical absorption spectra revealed a red shift, assigned to the reduction of the band gap energy upon doping. TEM analysis proved that the few nanorod-like structures of CS overlapped with SnO2 QDs, and agglomeration was observed upon Mg doping. The incorporation of dopants little enhanced the d-spacing of SnO2 QDs. Moreover, the synthesized nanocatalyst was utilized to calculate the degradation percentage of methylene blue (MB) dye. Afterward, a comparative analysis of catalytic activity, photocatalytic activity, and sonophotocatalytic activity was carried out. Notably, 4% Mg/CS-doped QDs showed maximum sonophotocatalytic degradation of MB in basic medium compared to other activities. Lastly, the prepared nanocatalyst was found to be efficient for dye degradation in any environment and inexpensive.
© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.