Facile synthesis of ultrathin SnNb2O6 nanosheets towards improved visible-light photocatalytic H2-production activity.

Ultrathin SnNb2O6 nanosheets with a thickness of ∼3 nm were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route using ultrathin K4Nb6O17 nanosheets as the precursor. This ultrathin nanosheets with a large specific surface area of 71.1 m(2) g(-1) showed improved visible-light photocatalytic H2-production activity in lactic acid aqueous solution, which is about 4 and 14 times higher than that of 50 nm-thick SnNb2O6 nanosheets and bulk SnNb2O6 powders, respectively. The higher activity of ultrathin nanosheets was mainly attributed to their larger specific surface area and much better charge transfer efficiency.