LAUSR

Hierarchical SnO2 flower-like structures are synthesized successfully through a simple and effective hydrothermal method. The morphology, microstructure, specific surface area, and photocatalytic property of the as-prepared products are characterized in detail by various analytical techniques. The results show that the as-prepared products possess flowers-shaped morphologies, and each flower is assembled by many nanorods with a diameter of 60 nm and a length of 300 nm. The effects of reaction temperature and time on the morphology of SnO2 nanoflowers are studied and the growth mechanism of the nanoflower is proposed. The products possess excellent photocatalytic activity for several organic dyes. The degradation rates of methylene blue, rhodamine B and methyl orange are 99.6, 99.5, and 96.8%, respectively after 40 min. The as-prepared SnO2 nanoflowers might possess potential applications in wastewater treatment.Graphic abstractHierarchical SnO2 flower-like structures are synthesized successfully through a simple and effective hydrothermal method. The results show that the as-prepared products possess excellent photocatalytic activity for several organic dyes, demonstrating their potential applications in wastewater treatment.